MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION TOP CONCERNS

MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION TOP CONCERNS
DATA FROM STUDY TO HELP IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES OF PROBLEMS
Damien Fisher
News Staff Writer

Addiction, mental health and obesity top the concerns identified through the 2015 Community Health Assessment of North Central Massachusetts released Thursday at the Wachusett Village Inn.

The annual assessment, compiled by the Joint Collaboration on Health with the support of several area health care facilities and community organizations, highlights the health, safety and social needs of the people in North Central Massachusetts. This information can now be used to help people through new programs and services designed to address these concerns, said Susan Buchholz of the Joint Coalition on Health.

“This is really the beginning of the conversation,” she said.

Access to mental health services topped nearly every category of findings, according to the report, with people concerned that there are not enough opportunities to seek and get help for depression and other mental health needs. The report found that depression, psychiatric hospitalization and suicide rates for the region are higher than in the rest of the state.

The findings came about through interviews and focus groups with more than 200 people in 16 different groups representing the diverse population of the region.

The region is also dealing with the opioid addiction crisis that has engulfed Massachusetts. The report found that while other behavioral concerns, like binge drinking, have gotten better since previous reports, heroin use continues to rise. The report does not give a clear picture in terms of what is driving the heroin use, Ms. Buchholz said.

“We know there is an opioid crisis, but (the data) doesn’t tell us why,” she said.

Other concerns found that the region has a higher incident rate for teen pregnancy and infant mortality. Children in the region are also victims to a higher-than-state-average rate of maltreatment, with Gardner and Athol among the cities with the highest rates, according to the report.

Obesity is a concern, with high rates of diabetes and other obesity-related diseases occurring at higher rates than the rest of the state. Other areas of concern see the region lead the state in lower incomes, isolation of elders and self-inflicted injuries.

The report’s findings can be used to turn things around, Ms. Buchholz said. In past years, the findings of the survey have been used for grant writing and legislative efforts for things such as improved access to dental care, starting the Community Health Connections clinics in Leominster, Gardner and Fitchburg, as well as the Winchendon Project, which is now a state model for community-based behavioral care.

Ms. Buchholz hopes that the efforts coming from this year’s report will help community groups identify the underlying factors for the released statistics.

“We need to use resources to identify root causes while taking care of people in need,” she said.

The communities involved in the surveys and focus groups include Lunenburg, Shirley, Groton, Ayer, Princeton, Leominster, Sterling, Lancaster, Ashby, Townsend, Pepperell, Fitchburg, Harvard, Bolton, Warwick, Royalston, Erving, Orange, Athol, Phillipston, New Salem, Petersham, Wendell, Winchendon, Ashburnham, Gardner, Templeton, Westminster, Hubbardston and Clinton.

The Community Health Assessment is a collaborative effort by the Joint Coalition on Health, HealthAlliance Hospital, Heywood Health Care, Montachusett Public Health Network, Community Health Connections, the Montachusett Opportunity Council Inc., the Center for Health IMPACT (formerly Central MA AHEC), and supported by funding from HealthAlliance Hospital, Heywood Health Care and the Joint Coalition on Health.