Health insurance and preparing youth for work are top two concerns identified by residents in recent needs survey

WICHITA, Kan., Mar. 25, 2019 — Area residents identified health insurance and preparing young people for the workforce as major issues for their households or their neighborhoods in a Community Needs Assessment report released by United Way of the Plains in collaboration with Ascension Via Christi and the Sedgwick County Division of Health.

The report contains results of a survey conducted in November and December 2018 which asked area residents for their input on local social and health needs. United Way has been conducting needs assessments since 1988; this is the third time the three organizations have partnered to produce a single community-wide needs assessment.

Summary of findings:
Household and Neighborhood Issues – More than 20 percent of the residential survey respondents identified the following as major issues for their households or neighborhood:

• Health insurance
• Preparing young people for the workforce
• Juvenile delinquency/gang prevention
• Bullying
• Basic medical care

See the full report online at www.unitedwayplains.org/2019-needs-assessment.

The 2019 Community Needs Assessment includes three parts:

• Environmental Scan – Secondary community data (demographics, education, economic outlook, crime, housing, life cycle and health care/health access) for Sedgwick, Butler, Cowley, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Reno and Sumner counties.
• Needs Survey – Results of health and social needs community survey conducted with random sample of residential households in Sedgwick and Butler counties; business/government leaders; and social service agency executives.
• Priority Study – Summary of community priority issues for use in planning, funding and coordination of services.

The three organizations joined forces in the project to maximize effort, reduce costs and coordinate research findings into one single document for better use by others.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Delane Butler, Vice President of Marketing, United Way of the Plains, (316) 267-1321, Ext. 4105, dbutler@unitedwayplains.org