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The Provider Network Committee is comprised of health and social service professionals who oversee the broader health and social needs of area citizens through planning, program development, and advocacy. The committee has assisted with development of substance abuse prevention programs, convened partnerships to establish much needed local substance abuse treatment services, and assessed the impact of changes in health programs and polices on local residents.

Highlights
From
Eastern Maine Health Systems
Community Health Needs Assessment 2006

Community Perceptions of Health and Health Service Need

  • The cost of care is widely regarded as the most significant health issue in Northern, Eastern and Central Maine.
  • Alcohol and drug abuse is considered the biggest health problem.
  • Availability of crises services is perceived to be inadequate across all study regions.

Hancock County Highlights

  1. Hancock County one of the counties that had uninsured rates that were higher than peer and state rates.
  2. All of the study regions except Hancock compare favorably with peer communities and the State on the proportion of adults that have had a physical exam within the past two years and have improved in this area since 2001.
  3. Hancock was one county that had the lowest proportions of elderly residents with appropriate vaccinations.
  4. Most regions have a higher chronic disease burden than they had in 2001.
  5. The largest proportion of “well” reside in the Bangor and Hancock regions…
  6. Hancock County was one county that had a relatively high proportion of population reporting having 11 or more days of poor mental health in the prior month.
  7. High prevalence of smoking in Hancock County with a slight increase in adult smoking in Hancock County.
  8. Prevalence of obesity increased throughout all study regions except Bangor.
  9. Hancock and Bangor were the only study regions where the prevalence of diabetes did not exceed the peer and state rate.
  10. In all study regions except Bangor and Hancock regions, the prevalence of high blood pressure is higher than in peer regions.
  11. Mortality rates for heart disease (all causes) among the 65+ population and the 45 – 64 population are higher than peer communities in all study regions except Bangor.
  12. Acute Myocardio Infarction (AMI) (heart attack) mortality rates are high in all regions.
  13. ….Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG surgery) are elevated across the regions.
  14. For most regions, both adults and youth have high rates of hospitalization utilization for asthma and bronchitis related compared to the state and/or peer communities.
  15. Lung cancer incidence rates continue to rise among both males and females in most regions.
  16. The four leading cancers with the highest incidence rates among population in the regions are breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancer.
  17. In all study regions, 45-55% of all cancer cases are detected at the local stage…
  18. The female cancer mortality/incidence ratio in Hancock is 9-23% higher than all other regions…
  19. Prostate cancer mortality/incidence ratio is highest in the Hancock region compared to the peer and state.
  20. Penquis and Hancock also have high rates of breast cancer compared to peers.
  21. More than one in four adults across the study region has ever been diagnosed with depression.
  22. Senility and organic brain disorders hospitalization rates in 2006 are highest in Hancock and Knox-Waldo where rates are 70% to 120% higher than state and peer rates.
  23. ED visits for anxiety among the elderly are above peer rates in all study regions except Bangor.
  24. The prevalence of chronic heavy drinking has increased since 2001, particularly among 18-64 year-olds.
  25. Psychoses hospital admission rates among youth dramatically increased between 2001 – 2006 in all study regions….
  26. About 1 in 4 residents of the EMHS study area has been diagnosed with arthritis…
  27. The incidence of Hepatitis C is elevated in Bangor, Washington, Hancock and Waldo-Knox regions in relation to the peer and state incidence rates.

To view the complete report please click here.

Bucksport Address
mary jane bushe
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