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Study Shows Increasing Needs

January 25, 2010.  The Barnstable County Department of Human Services has published an Executive Summary of Monitoring the Human Condition on Cape Cod Study highlighting trends during the period 2004 – 2009.  The study is one of the most comprehensive compilations of data collected on a county wide scale and provides a rich assessment of the overall community health of year round residents of Cape Cod.   

Monitoring the Human Condition research includes data collected from 4,000 households over a five year period.  An overview of the findings includes demographic shifts in our population, increasing need for basic human services, and increasingly serious needs in our most vulnerable households.  Two central themes that have emerged from the data include households reporting mental and behavioral health issues such as depression and substance abuse and increased barriers to accessing needed services. 

 The mission of the Barnstable County Department of Human Services is to promote the health and social well-being of County residents through regional efforts designed to improve coordination and efficiency of human services to strengthen the fabric of community care available to all. The Department has conducted research about the human condition on Cape Cod since 1995.  To request more information about the study or to obtain either one of the reports, please contact the Barnstable County Department of Human Services at 508-375-6628.  A complete listing and links to the Department’s research publications, data and statistics are available at www.bchumanservices.net.  For a copy of the full release go to Monitoring the Human Condition Executive Summary Press Release.