If you receive a call from Kent State University conducting a survey, it is your chance to help HARC (Health Assessment Resource Center) collect data for its third Coachella Valley health needs assessment. This translates into much needed funding for local non-profit services and health care providers who work with those in need right here in our community.

The important data they are collecting is free and available to everyone (www.HarcData.org) and helps organizations make a case for grant funding, develop targeted programs, and prioritize health needs in the community. In fact, local organizations that cited HARC data in their funding requests have received over $4.7 million to fund local programs valleywide. These programs do amazing things for our community, including feeding homebound seniors, providing counseling for school children, and providing free HIV/AIDS testing.

HARC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Palm Desert. It was created in 2006 to fill the need for objective, reliable research regarding the health of Coachella Valley communities. HARC conducted the first assessment of community health in 2007, and a second in 2010. A wide variety of local organizations utilize this data, including non-profits, county and city government, universities, hospitals, and private businesses, among others.

Now the time has come for data collection for the third survey. The survey is conducted via telephone interviews of adults across the Coachella Valley, in both English and Spanish. Because HARC strives to make sure this data represents the entire population of the Coachella Valley, it is extremely important that individuals from all walks of life participate.

Kent State University, a contractor working with HARC, will begin calling Coachella Valley residents in January, and continue to do so until April 2013. Each telephone survey takes approximately 23 minutes to complete. The survey covers important aspects of health and wellness, such as access to healthcare, chronic illness, mental health, preventative screenings, and health behaviors, among others. By also assessing demographic information, HARC is able to determine not only health needs, but also health disparities among groups.

Community participation is extremely important to the success of this survey. So please, if you receive a call from Kent State University on behalf of HARC, take the time to answer the call and respond to the questions. By participating in the survey, you will be contributing to improving the health of our community.

The results of the 2013 survey will be shared with the community in early 2014, and available for all online. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Eileen Packer, HARC’s CEO by phone at (760) 404-1945 or email at [email protected].

Thank you in advance for doing your part to support the health of our community!

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