Lompoc's first independent Community Needs Assessment has identified isolation as a key factor contributing to health and quality-of-life challenges facing residents, according to a report released by the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization.
The assessment was conducted by the organization with support from the Cottage Health Fund and was designed to better understand the community's needs and help guide future health initiatives.
According to the report, 74% of participants took part in at least one focus group, which were offered in both English and Spanish to encourage broad community participation.
Ashley Costa, Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization Executive Director, said the city had never completed a comprehensive community needs assessment before.
"Here in Lompoc, we don't have a nonprofit hospital, so there was no mandate to conduct a community health needs assessment, so we wanted to step in and fill the gap," Costa said.
The report found that 29% of Lompoc workers commute more than 40 minutes to their jobs, creating barriers to accessing health care, maintaining healthy lifestyles and participating in the community.
Longtime Lompoc resident Carson Link, who commutes to Santa Maria and Santa Barbara for work, said the findings reflect the reality he and many residents experience.
"I can't blame them. They don't have the time to get involved in our community," Link said. "There are definitely a lot of things happening in our community that are not great, which lead to us being unhealthy."
The assessment also found that Lompoc residents' life expectancy is four years lower than the Santa Barbara County average.
“That decrease in life expectancy can be attributed to a lot of factors: substance abuse, mental health, chronic illness, lack of access to primary care and financial stability and affordability of our community,” Costa said.
Community leaders say the findings will be used to develop five key strategies aimed at strengthening partnerships and improving health outcomes throughout Lompoc.
"The big message is that although we have identified the challenges, there are also opportunities and areas for us to improve," Costa said.
