From the Desk of the County Manager for September 11, 2026

Today marks the 25th anniversary of a tragedy that reshaped our nation and the world. Thousands of lives were lost on September 11, 2001, in New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Penn. We pause to remember those who died that day, along with their families, and others whose lives were directly impacted and forever changed by the terrorist attack, including members of the Durham community.

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Greetings, Durham!

One of Durham County’s top priorities is the overall health and well-being of our residents. Whether it’s ensuring public health, delivering social services and emergency and safety resources, overseeing elections and voting, or protecting natural resources, Durham County Government serves more than 330,000 residents in a community that is constantly growing and welcoming new individuals. This commitment includes partnerships that provide data and other information to help us address current and future needs, priorities, challenges, and opportunities to make Durham County healthier for all.

The Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH), Partnership for Health Durham, and Duke Health collaborated on the 2025 Community Health Assessment. The assessment results were curated into a Survey Infographic Report that will be formally presented at the Durham Board of County Commissioners meeting on Monday, September 14, at 7 p.m. I invite residents to join us in the Commissioners’ Chambers, located on the second floor of the Administration I Building (200 E. Main Street), or online via the Durham Television Network or the YouTube Channel.

I encourage everyone to read and join us in person or online to see and hear the presentation by the team that worked on this comprehensive and inclusive program. The County extends sincere thanks and gratitude to the Public Health Staff, other county departments, partners at Partnership for a Healthy Durham, Duke Health, and consultants who worked tirelessly to gather critical feedback from our community members. We also extend deep gratitude to each resident who took the time to complete the survey and provide feedback that will help build a more informed and healthier Durham County.

Dr. Rodney E. Jenkins, Durham County’s Public Health Director, notes, “We are pleased to present our findings from our county-wide health assessment. Our new, innovative approach yielded the highest response rate ever. We remain grateful for our many partners who contribute to our award-winning efforts, as we could not accomplish this task without them.”

A few highlights and notes from the assessment include:

• We collected five times as many surveys in 2025 (1,207 surveys) as in 2022 (205 surveys).
• The new methodology used for the 2025 assessment was more successful than previous years.
• The new analysis process allows for weighting of convenience sample data. However, selection bias persists, so it is not perfect.

A few key results:

• When describing Durham in one word, responses were overwhelmingly positive, with “Diverse,” “Home,” and “Good” as the top three choices.
• Those under 50 are much more likely to face barriers to securing housing while living in Durham County.
• Nearly one in five (18%) participants had a lapse in health insurance or coverage in the past 12 months.
• Finances, work, and personal relationships are the top three causes of stress.
• Individuals making an annual household income under $50,000 were more likely to experience food insecurity than those making more per year.
• Housing was identified as having the greatest impact on quality of life.
• Survey participants identified mental health as the most concerning disease or condition.

These invaluable insights will help us develop new strategies to address challenges in Durham County and close gaps in our community.

I look forward to developing solutions with our residents to continue building, growing, and strengthening all of Durham County.

Until next week,

Claudia Hager

Durham County Manager