Community Assessment Activity Sheet

County and State: Solano County, California

Identify three (3) areas of strength in your county compared to state and/or national

benchmarks. Provide the rationale for the selection. Include a citation after each statement

in APA format.

 Access to Healthcare Services: When compared to the rest of the state of California,

where only 88% of residents are covered by health insurance, Solano County has a

relatively high rate of access to healthcare services, at 92% (Hart, 2023). This is higher

than the statewide average, and it suggests that a sizable portion of the county's

population has access to necessary medical care.

 Educational Attainment: Solano County excels in terms of adult education, with 88% of

residents aged 25 and up holding a high school diploma or its equivalent. This is higher

than the state average of 82% and indicates that county residents have a higher level of

education, which has positive effects on many facets of community well-being (Hart,

2023).

 Environmental Quality: The low levels of air pollution in Solano County are evidence of

the county's high environmental quality. The county's air quality index (AQI) has been

consistently above the federal threshold for acceptable air quality (IQ Air, 2023). This is

crucial for the community's respiratory health and general well-being.

Identify three (3) areas of weakness in your county compared to state and/or national

benchmarks. Provide the rationale for the selection. Include a citation after each statement

in APA format.

 Mental Health Services:

According to the California Health Care Foundation, in Solano County, approximately 17%

of adults reported experiencing poor mental health, higher than the statewide average of 14%

(UC Davis Health, 2022).

In terms of access to mental health care, Solano County ranks 39th out of California's 58

counties (Hart, 2023).

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report states that 15% of adults in Solano County

reported having frequent mental distress, slightly higher than the state average of 13% (IQ

Air, 2023).

 Substance Abuse:

According to the California Health Care Foundation, in Solano County, 15% of adults

reported excessive drinking, slightly higher than the statewide average of 14% (UC Davis

Health, 2022).

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report indicates that 16% of adults in Solano

County reported excessive drinking, higher than the state average of 14% (IQ Air, 2023).

The same report shows that 14% of adults in Solano County reported binge drinking, slightly

higher than the state average of 13% (IQ Air, 2023).

 Chronic Disease Prevalence

The prevalence of chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Solano

County is higher than average compared to state averages. The county has a higher

obesity rate than the state overall (28% vs. 25%). This emphasizes the importance of

community-wide efforts to encourage healthy choices and reduce the prevalence of

chronic diseases through targeted interventions (IQ Air, 2023).

Identify one health issue that could be improved for your county and provide the rationale

for the selection. The health issue could be from the list of weaknesses above, but it is not

required. The health issue selected may become the priority health issue for your Health

Policy (capstone) paper. Avoid poverty and lack of health insurance as a priority health

issue. Include reference in APA format.

Health Issue: Mental Health Services

Rationale: Solano County's mental health services need to be enhanced because they fall short of

statewide norms in terms of both accessibility and availability. There is a significant gap in

providing for the county's population's mental health, as evidenced by the county's ranking of

39th out of 58 counties in California. Promoting general health, lowering stigma, and ensuring

timely access to appropriate mental health support all hinge on resolving this issue.

References

Hart, A. (2023, March 15). Sacramento and Solano Counties Square Off With State Over Mental

Health Duties. California Healthline.

https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/sacramento-and-solano-counties-square-off-

with-state-over-mental-health-duties/

IQ Air. (2023, June 11). Solano Air Quality Index (AQI) and California Air Pollution.

Www.iqair.com. https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/california/solano

UC Davis Health. (2022). UC Davis helps Solano County improve mental health in underserved

communities. UC Davis News. https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/uc-davis-helps-

solano-county-improve-mental-health-in-underserved-communities/2022/03

UNODC. (2020). UNODC World Drug Report 2020: Global drug use rising; while COVID-19

has far reached impact on global drug markets. United Nations: Office on Drugs and
Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/press/releases/2020/June/media-advisory---global-

launch-of-the-2020-world-drug-report.html