Given the magnitude of health disparities impacting residents of Gadsden County, lay community members, local community based organizations, local public health officials, local county officials, state representatives, and neighboring academic institutions, have, over several years, attempted to address these disparities through data collection activities and interventions through such vehicles as the formation of focus groups, peer support networks, health fairs, and the offering of primary care services. Through discussions with community members and, as observed by public providing optimal health care services to the residents of Gadsden County is the fragmentation of services and accessibility to these services. Thus, it was initially proposed that solutions to solving this problem could potentially be initiated through

• identifying existing health care services and assessing the availability of services and systems to residents at risk for adverse health outcomes

• begin to develop tools and linkages to increase capacity-building with state, local and community-based organizations/coalitions to decrease adverse health outcomes in Gadsden County through the formation of a community-based advisory board or coalition

Thus, as a result of this need and the commitment of local and state officials such as Representatives Curtis Richardson and Secretary John Agwunobi, the Gadsden County Health Department commissioned the Florida A & M University Institute of Public Health to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment predicated on the existing health disparities and health services needed in Gadsden County. The Gadsden Community Health Council was created to address issues identified by this needs assessment.