MILTON — The Community Health Improvement Plan Workgroup will host a public forum to discuss risk factors, protective factors, and potential solutions to address the growing trend of suicide and drug abuse in Santa Rosa County.
The forum is 9 a.m. March 20 at Santa Rosa County Health Department, 5527 Stewart St., Milton.
Get involved by contributing ideas, feedback, and resources to address mental healthcare and to discuss strategies to combat drug abuse in the Santa Rosa community.
This CHIP workgroup was established in 2016, following the release of the Community Health Needs Assessment to address issues surrounding injury prevention. With the new health priorities set in the 2019 CHNA, the group will focus on suicide prevention and drug/opioid abuse.
In 2016 in Santa Rosa:
- 15.3 percent of adults reported poor mental health 14-plus days in a month versus 9.7 percent statewide.
- 20 percent of adults were diagnosed with a depressive disorder.
Other Santa Rosa statistics are:
- In 2017, 5,900 people visited the emergency room for treatment of mental health disorders, excluding drug and/or alcohol related issues.
- Between 2015-2017, 69 residents died due to drug poisoning.
Visit http://santarosa.floridahealth.gov/ for more CHNA information; or contact the Florida Department of Health, 850-564-2233.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Community Health improvement to host drug, suicide prevention forum