NORTHAMPTON – Sixty-four percent of Northampton residents surveyed buy local food at least once a week and more than 90 percent would like to more often. Forty-five percent of those surveyed don't eat fast food. Twenty-two percent of surveyed Meadowbrook residents are gardeners, but sixty percent would like to try it.

Those are just a few examples of what Cooley Dickinson Hospital learned as a result of a community survey conducted this past summer by local young people. Northampton and area youth conducted 324 surveys in Northampton neighborhoods, and an additional 100 people participated on-line through the Northampton Health Department's website.

The Cooley Dickinson Hospital will share survey results at a community event on Wednesday, March 23, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Northampton Senior Center on Conz Street. The event will feature presentations by young people, networking opportunities and a community conversation about creating a healthier community. Light refreshments will be served.

The report was commissioned by Cooley Dickinson Hospital's Healthy Communities Committee and prepared by the Western Massachusetts Center for Healthy Communities, a Cooley Dickinson program based in Holyoke.

"Community residents took the time to complete the survey. Now it's our turn to share what we learned, and to listen to their feedback on where to go from here," said Sarah C. Bankert, Prevention Specialist at the Western Mass Center for Healthy Communities and coordinator of the data collection projects.

Community and youth residents of Northampton, health and wellness advocates, and anyone who is interested in building a healthy community are encouraged to attend.

Registration is appreciated, but not required by contacting Sarah_Bankert@cooley-dickinson.org or call (413) 540-0600 ext. 102.