SVMC Community Health Needs Assessment 2021 - Catalog - Page 30
29 | P a g e
Disparities in neighborhood safety identified by SVMC’s community health survey:
27% of renters indicated some level of concern about neighborhood safety, compared
to 11% of homeowners.
22% of Asian and 22% of Black or African American respondents reported a challenge with
neighborhood safety.
Improvements to the physical environment can lead to increased adherence to healthy behaviors, and
can directly lead to improved health outcomes. Alterations to the physical environment can entail:
•
•
•
•
•
Changes to physical infrastructure to facilitate easier foot or bicycle traffic, whether for essential
travel or leisure
Enhanced public transportation, including to rural or isolated areas
Improved accessibility to safe, affordable housing
Efforts to promote safety and prevent crime
Renovated green spaces, and expansion of multi-use trails and recreation areas.
These changes undoubtedly have a profound impact on health; though this assessment did not identify
changes to the built environment as a priority health need, SVMC will support and contribute to
community projects that improve the physical environment as a means to promote healthy behaviors
for individuals of all ages and abilities.
Social Environment and Diversity
Just as the physical environment is a strong determinant of health and health behaviors, a robust social
environment is integral to supporting the development of coping capabilities that lead to resilient
individuals and a high quality of life.
Social Isolation
This report will not belabor the effects that
COVID-19 mitigation measures, including
isolation and physical distancing, has had upon
the social fabric of the nation. The full
ramifications of months of isolation have yet to
be fully detailed, and other publications have
given the intersection of the pandemic and
loneliness the attention that it warrants.24
Survey Respondent Quote:
“The biggest challenge I have faced
during the pandemic has been the
isolation of elderly family members I
care for.”
24
Julianne Holt-Lunstad. Health Affairs. The Double Pandemic of Social Isolation and COVID-19: Cross-Sector Policy Must
Address Both. June 22, 2020. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200609.53823
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Community Health Needs Assessment 2021