Every three years the Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement runs a countywide community health assessment. The coalition was founded in 1994. The county health department sits on its steering committee, and CAMC publishes the reports.
2017
291 households answered a phone survey, 87 community leaders completed a survey and 51 people joined focus groups. The leaders named addiction, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure as the biggest health problems. Most named drug addiction as the single greatest issue.
2020
The assessment widened to the conditions where people live, learn, work and play. The priorities were wellness and chronic disease prevention, safe roads and transportation, affordable child care, barriers to work, and safe places to exercise.
2023
An online survey got 1,191 responses. The priorities were wellness and chronic disease prevention (with a focus on obesity), mental health for children and adults, early childhood learning, employer wellness programs, and wider use of community centers.