2012 Laramie County Needs Assessment Released

About a hundred people attended the "Healthy Communities Conference" at Little America on Tuesday. The event was centered around the release of the 2012 Laramie county Needs Assessment.

Alfrieda Gonzales, Executive Director of the Laramie County Community Partnership says the purpose of the assessment was to gather local data to identify barriers to the health and well being of residents of Laramie County. She says the effort began several years ago to identify the most pressing needs of the community and identify action steps and solutions that may be taken to address those issues.

Obesity, Diabetes, Substance Abuse and Smoking are among the health issues identified in the needs assessment. Dr. Phyllis Sherard, Director of Cheyenne Regional Medical Center's Office of Population Health Improvement, says the  the next step is to take action. She says the groups formed Tuesday will work through the fall to create a Community Health Improvement Plan.