City Launches First Health Survey in Nearly 20 Years

Last month, Mayor David Briley joined officials with NashvilleHealth and the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) to announce the launch of the Nashville Community Health + Well-being Survey.

Being sent to more than 12,000 residents, the countywide assessment looks to provide valuable data about health-related behaviors, chronic health conditions, preventive health practices and the impact of the local environment on well-being. The data from the survey will help create an accurate snapshot of the city's overall health and be used to inform and enhance current efforts to improve Nashville's health status.

The information is also expected to play an important role in setting future population health priorities for metro agencies and community partners. The plan is to implement a routine checkup so that this survey becomes the baseline from which future findings can track progress.

"I'm committed to this effort to make Nashville a healthier community," said Briley, mayor of Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County. "Only with a comprehensive assessment like this will we know the challenges and opportunities to the health and well-being of Nashvillians. This survey will give us data to better serve our residents."

Conducted by the nationally recognized Survey Research Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the questions will be administered in both English and Spanish, and respondents will be able to reply via web or mail. The questions included in the survey were selected from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and other national surveys to address Nashville's unique health-related priorities and determinants.

Surveys began being mailed in late September with a first round of data expected by the end of the year. Final data sets should be delivered by early 2019. Once final, the data will be disseminated in multiple formats.

"This project will provide comprehensive baseline health data for Davidson County - data that do not exist today," said Sen. Bill Frist, MD, founder and chairman of NashvilleHealth. "These data will be critical to better understanding the health needs of our city and establishing a baseline from which we can all measure the effectiveness of our interventions and collective programs moving forward."

The Mayor's Healthy Nashville Leadership Council has undertaken a multifaceted Community Health Assessment (CHA) this year in coordination with area hospitals, clinics and nonprofits. The new health survey coincides with the CHA to help highlight and prioritize health issues. Ultimately, the CHA will be used to inform Nashville's Community Health Improvement Plan.

"Just as a doctor needs to know vital signs, we need to take the temperature on Nashville's health every so often," said Bill Paul, MD, director of MPHD. "Ninety percent of health happens outside of hospitals and doctor's offices, and the Nashville Community Health + Well-being Survey is an essential tool for us to size up the key elements of good health in our population."

Funding for the survey is being provided by Amerigroup, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, HCA, LifePoint Health, The Memorial Foundation, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, NashvilleHealth, Nashville Health Care Council, Tivity Health, UnitedHealthcare, AMSURG, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Change Healthcare, The Healing Trust, Live Nation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Vector Management.

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More information on the Nashville Community Health + Well-being Survey