According to the 1990 census, Chemung County has 95,195 residents. The county has a higher percentage of children (up to age 14) and senior citizens (age 65+) than upstate New York as a whole. Median household income was $26,135 in Chemung County as compared with $35,712 for upstate New York. A higher percentage of Chemung County children (24 percent) qualify for and are receiving Medicaid benefits than children residing in upstate New York overall (18.2 percent). More than 30 percent of the population of Chemung County was below 20 percent of poverty. And in Chemung County, the rate of teenage pregnancy is 115.1 per thousand population as compared with 73.2 per thousand for upstate New York.

Using a broad-based community health needs assessment, The Chemung Valley Health Network has developed a series of project objectives which form the basis of a detailed workplan to improve community health within Chemung County.

Needs Assessment
Needs as identified by the members of the Health Network are defined by the prevailing conditions within our county:

• The high rate of teenage pregnancy
  
• The high incidence of low birthweight
  
• Access to primary care
  
• Recruitment and retention of primary care physicians
  
• Access to dental care, particularly for Medicaid and indigent populations
  
• Access to mental healthcare, particularly for children
  
• Availability of HIV care
  
• Lower than desirable immunization rate
  
• Lack of community knowledge and awareness of services available
  
• Lack of coordination of services