If you get a knock on your door in Portsmouth it could help your overall health

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — If you live in Portsmouth and get a knock on your door, you don’t have to be wary. It’s just the Portsmouth Health Department looking for participants in a citywide health survey.

The information from the surveys will help the health department learn how to respond to the changing needs in the community.

The health department will be out in pairs and wearing vests. They’re asking you to ‘Answer the Knock.’

“Sometimes people don’t want to answer their doors, but it’s important, because we get to hear from the residents what’s going on,” said Avanti Allen-Benson, the population health manager with Portsmouth Health Department.

Allen-Benson wants to know your health issues, and if you might be experiencing any barriers to care.

“We ask if they have a health care provider that they consider their primary care,” Allen-Benson said, “if you had any concerns in regards to paying your bills, purchasing food, COVID-related questions, questions about annual screenings.”

These surveys help the health department become aware of resources the community might need. One year, the Portsmouth Health Department discovered many residents were living with diabetes.

“There was a diabetes program to bring that education into different resources to the community,” Allen-Benson said, “so we know that there’s a gap. We can try to find resources. If we can’t do it, how can we link the community to those resources?”

After the surveys are complete, they will be turned into the city.

“We don’t just hold on to that information. We share the results that we receive,” Allen-Benson said.

The Portsmouth Health Department will be out from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. until Thursday.

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