In 1997, over 150 Alamance County citizens came together to talk about health issues specific to our area. These leaders knew that in order to progress toward improved physical fitness and well-being, individuals would have to take responsibility for their own health. This could happen only when communities were allowed to choose the issues that were important to them. It was from this process that Healthy Alamance was born.

Every four years an assessment is conducted where the county's current strengths and challenges are compiled. This information is used to set priorities for action. The purpose of the Community Assessment is to gain a better understanding of the health and well being of residents in the community. The assessment captures a snapshot of the current environment in Alamance County by gathering statistics from reliable research sources, surveying opinions of county residents, and accessing the knowledge of our key leaders and decision-makers. The information can be utilized to help grant writers as well as help inform agencies and residents about areas of interest.

North Park in MOTION is one example of connecting a local community to health!

The activities of Healthy Alamance are designed to help improve access to, and increase awareness of, preventive health services, as well as eliminate health disparities among the disadvantaged. Each coalition works within their focus area to promote health habits to prevent or manage disease, or improve the availability of information and resources so that people know how to get the help they need.

Efforts have been directed to important issues such as Access to Healthcare, Child Abuse, Child Asthma, Substance Abuse and Obesity. In 2004, new priorities were selected based on data in the 2003 Community Assessment. Focus then went to chronic diseases, specifically heart disease/stroke, diabetes, cancer, which created new opportunities to have an impact on health in our community. In 2008 new data was released from the 2007 Community Assessment where emerging health issues included familiar topics such as Substance Abuse, including Tobacco; Access to Healthcare; and Chronic Disease. Emergining Social issues included Transportation, Economy, and Community Violence.