Tuesday, the Welborn Baptist Foundation is releasing its latest Greater Evansville Health Survey, using data gathered just before the pandemic hit locally last year.
Mental Health, Obesity, alcohol use and the health issues related to them all showed up as continuing concerns for the five county survey area that includes Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey and Gibson counties as well as Henderson County.
Program and Community Engagement Officer Andrea Hays says while there are some positive signs since the last survey in 2015, there is still more work to do.
“People make decisions based on what is available to them. You know how we build this community and social environment is really what steers the quality of life that people have available to them.”
Foundation officials had no idea the pandemic was going to hit when they put the surveys out for public input last Februrary, but they say its timing may provide valuable information for officials. They may follow up in a year or two with another survey and compare the two to help learn the overall health impacts of the pandemic.
