Annual SOTCH Report Released
The 2018 State of the County Health (SOTCH) Report was released to the public after presentation to the Consolidated Board of Health and Human Services (County Commissioners) in mid-April. The Montgomery County Department of Health, along with help from community partners, compiles this report annually to update community members and stakeholders on the top priority health issues identified in the 2016 Community Health Assessment: Substance Abuse Prevention and Reduction, Diabetes/Obesity Prevention and Control, and Teen Pregnancy Prevention.
The data in this report indicates an increase in most substance abuse data from 2017 to 2018. Unintentional medication/drug overdose, heroin overdose, heroin related emergency department visits, and opioid overdose numbers all increased in 2018. This data came from emergency department visits and therefore, the true severity of this problem may be understated. Childhood overweight/obesity has slightly decreased. In the 2017-2018 school year, 49% of students had a BMI that is considered overweight or obese, which is a decrease from 50% in the previous school year. Adult overweight/obesity is more difficult to track due to limited reporting measures but a regional survey showed 66% of respondents were considered overweight/obese. We are now ranked 25th in the state for teen pregnancies after the teen pregnancy rate for the county dropped in 2017, an exciting accomplishment given that in 2011 we were ranked 2nd in the state. The report highlights the strategies in place to combat these three priority health issues and new initiatives for the upcoming year. Updated morbidity and mortality data is presented along with information on social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences which were identified as emerging issues.
Copies of the report can be found at libraries throughout the county or on this website under the "Health Department Documents" section. If you would like a hard copy or have any questions about the report, please contact Health Education Staff at 910-572-1393.