By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
On the latest episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus”, WKTV’s new public affairs show, we bring to the public a discussion on the VoiceKent survey plans with Kyle Caldwell, executive director of the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.
The VoiceKent survey of Kent County critical public health concerns is a joint effort of the Kent County Health Department and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
In the discussion, which will air twice a week on WKTV channels starting this week and running through Aug. 13, Caldwell details the importance of the survey and the innovative ways it seeks public opinion from communities not often having their voices heard.
“We (at the Johnson Center) make sure we go into venerable communities, places were people would normally not respond to a survey because they don’t normally get connected with services or programs or organizations,” Caldwell told WKTV. “So we work with non-profit partners to go into communities and get people to respond to the survey. Now we are going to go county-wide with our partnership with the Kent County Health Department.”
The survey, which collects responses through October, connects demographics with the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of Kent County residents on topics such as employment, education, racism and discrimination, ability to meet basic needs, access to health care and neighborhood safety. The data gathered from the survey will help create a baseline for conversations on these important community issues.
For more information on the VoiceKent survey, see a submitted story here.
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” will start airing on Tuesday, Aug. 1, and the program will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:30 p.m., on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.
Visit here for a YouTube video of the VoiceKent segment.
Also on the latest episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus” is a discussion with the leaders of Exalta Health, a healthcare provider serving some of the most underserved of our community, and a member of the Kentwood Police Department detailing a crime-reporting website.
