Fairfax County is committed to providing equitable access to affordable healthcare and healthy living opportunities, allowing all residents to attain their full health potential. Health and well-being are influenced by a wide range of social and economic factors, health behaviors, access to services and environmental quality. For some people, the essential elements for a healthy life are readily available; for others, the opportunities for healthy choices are significantly limited.
It is important to recognize that disparities exist, and have been highlighted and exacerbated by the recent pandemic, especially for people of color who are at a higher risk of COVID-19 due to a multitude of related issues. These include a greater likelihood of underlying health conditions that make some residents more prone to contracting the virus, higher rates of employment in public-facing service jobs, and residing in high-density, multifamily living units which contribute to the spread of communicable diseases.
The strategies in this section seek to advance equitable health outcomes by examining what specific changes in the social determinants of health, the built community, and healthy living resources can be made to improve health and wellness for all, especially those who are most vulnerable and have been disproportionately affected, including older adults and children.
Note: The Environment and Energy community outcome area was originally combined with Healthy Communities, but these two areas were separated to ensure adequate focus on each. Therefore, one of the first steps of the implementation process was to crosswalk the following proposed strategies with countywide plans that were focused on community health, and to make necessary adjustments to ensure total integration and alignment of related work.
