Our survey sought to obtain from participants their opinion on specific priorities that affect health in our communities by ranking a list from 1 to 10 with 1 being the most important and 10 the least important. Our survey also provided participants with the opportunity to provide input on other items not identified in the list which they believe should be a priority. To calculate an overall average of participants’ rankings, each category was averaged, and the results gave an ascending rank. The lowest average was given the most important ranking (1) and the highest average was the least important ranking (10).

It is important to recognize that belief or opinion that a particular category should have a higher priority does not necessarily necessitate action. For example, a community that prioritizes good schools as very important and is the number one ranked school system in the country may be reflective of the successes already accomplished in that community and does not necessarily indicate a need for further action or planning. This achievement, however, does not preclude a community from taking further action to continue to maintain and/or improve on successes already recognized in a particular category. It is important however to investigate each category carefully to identify potential categories that may have a lower priority ranking but have the potential for a significant impact on the health status of the community.