[StBernard] Post-hurricane population estimates released for St. Tammany Parish

[Westley Annis]

Post-hurricane population estimates released for St. Tammany Parish 

North Shore parish has added almost 32,000 people since 2000 Census

NEW ORLEANS, La. (Jan. 22, 2007) - The estimated current population for St. Tammany is 220,656 residents, according to the first post-Katrina household survey of the area. This represents an increase of 31,734 people since the 2000 U.S. Census, which measured the area's population at 188,922. 

In addition, the population estimate reflects a slight increase from the number of residents reported in a 2005 Census American Community Survey conducted in the summer of 2005. That survey estimated the population of St. Tammany to be 217,999.

The survey was conducted by the Louisiana Public Health Institute on behalf of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Lo! uisiana Recovery Authority, with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau. Known officially as the 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey, the project employs a standard U.S. Census Bureau method for conducting population estimates, with modifications made to these methods to account for the effects of the 2005 hurricane season.

The complete report for St. Tammany Parish is available online at www.popest.org <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=3183&ID=dRjPkKm%27l%7Dm0&redirect=http://www.popest.org> .

The 2006 Louisiana Health & Population Survey is supported primarily by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals - Office of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control Foundation.

The survey process began in! June of this year, when survey teams visited neighborhoods and left b ehind survey information packets on doors. The packets included instructions, the survey form and a letter from Governor Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana Health and Hospitals Secretary Dr. Fred Cerise that explained the project and its importance. The teams later returned to the homes where packets had been left in order to survey residents in person. 

Throughout the process, survey team members wore project t-shirts and carried official badges identifying them as members of 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey team.

It is anticipated that survey reports will be issued for a total of 18 parishes in South and Central Louisiana.

The goals of the project are to: 

- Provide critical population data to decision-makers to use in planning the allocation of public services and disaster recovery funds, and for the creation of evacuation and preparation guidelines for future disasters; 

- Provide timely a! nd accurate estimates of the population in selected parishes, including information on age, race and gender; 

- Obtain information for health care and economic development planning, including information on health insurance, worker's compensation, disability, household income, employment status, education and selected chronic disease conditions; and 

- Compare population estimates with modeled estimates developed from other sources in order to gauge the need for future household surveys. 

In addition to the new St. Tammany Parish results, the final population estimates for Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes are also available online at www.popest.org <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=3183&ID=dRjPkKm%27l%7Dm0&redirect=http://www.popest.org> .


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Since 1997 the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), has worked to promote and improve the health and quality of life in Louisiana through public-private partnering at the community, parish and state level and provide information for decision making and policy development. Current activities employ a community-based systems approach to improving access to care, environmental tobacco policy change, health promotion and disease prevention, and enhancing the capacity of communities to address critical and chronic health issues. LPHI is a member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes and is the administrative home of their national office. For more information visit www.lphi.org <http://www.lphi.org>