The Community Health Assessment Project (CHAP) was first developed in the early 1990s through a collaborative effort by health providers and human service agencies across a 21-county area of northern, lower Michigan. As a way to assess the status of health in our communities, a survey was completed in 1995 that provided insight into access to health care, population trends, health behaviors and social attitudes. The survey helped our communities identify health priorities and implement plans to address them.

In 2000, a follow-up survey of 6,300 residents (300 interviews in each of the 21 counties) was taken to compare results from the 1995 survey as well as gather information on newly emerging issues. The survey was conducted by DataStat, an Ann Arbor research firm, and has a margin of error of plus or minus five percent. The findings from the 2000 survey will again provide insight into which groups are at greatest risk so that hospitals, health departments, other health institutions, community-based organizations, governmental units, school systems, businesses and citizens can, in a collaborative manner, develop and implement plans to address those health priorities.

Each page of data in this web site examines how aspects such as demographics, possession of health insurance, body mass index, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, mental health, violence, air quality and social capital impact the status of the region's collective health. Analysis of the findings is also provided on each page by Michael Collins, MD, MS, Medical Director for the Health Departments of Grand Traverse, Benzie and Leelanau Counties; and Bob Sloan, MBA, Research Director of the Northern Michigan Regional Health System.