Every four years, the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services conducts a community health assessment (CHA), which serves as “the foundation for improving and promoting the health of county residents.” This current public service project grew out of an assignment given in a service-learning course where this student assisted in data collection for the CHA. In support of this important community asset, this student was assigned to the Pilot Buncombe County 2012-2013 community health assessment in block groups 28806 and 28715. The project activities included: coordinating data collection, training surveyors, analyzing the data, and providing a supplemental report of the findings in tandem with the regional CHA. The report will enhance and clarify understanding of health disparities within Buncombe County. Working on this project has broadened this student’s understanding of the health and social determinants at play within Western North Carolina and heightened this student’s resolve to find creative ways of addressing them to reduce health disparities and improve population health.
