VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – In an effort to gauge the overall health needs of the community, CHI Mercy Health and City-County Health District will survey area residents during an approximately three-week period through August 10th. Results of the survey will provide guidance to local providers on better ways to address health care needs. The survey is part of a community health needs assessment initiated by CHI Mercy Health and City-County Health District, with assistance from the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
CHI Mercy Health and City-County Health District strongly encourage all area residents to participate in the survey. Surveys will be distributed to area residents through various channels, including service clubs, stores, churches, and other public venues. Residents may access an interactive, online version of the survey at tinyurl.com/ValleyCityCHNA21. Additionally, written copies are available at CHI Mercy Health and City-County Health District. All survey responses are anonymous, and there is no way to track responses back to individuals. Survey responses are returned to the Center for Rural Health to help ensure anonymity. A postage-paid return envelope is included with each written survey.
The survey will allow local providers to learn of the community’s awareness of local health care services being provided, hear suggestions and help identify any gaps in services, learn about community health and other concerns, and determine preferences for using local health care versus traveling to other facilities. “We are committed to providing the best health care possible to the people we serve. In order to do this, important health issues within the community need to be clearly assessed,” said Steve Spickenreuther, Foundation/Mission Director for CHI Mercy Health.
In addition to specific questions, the survey also seeks general, open-ended input from residents about the community’s health needs and the delivery of local health care. Completing the survey takes about 20 to 25 minutes. “Through the assessment process, a community learns what specific areas require the most urgent attention. From there, work can begin on improving the ways in which these priority health care needs are met,” said Theresa Will, Administrator for City-County Health District.
The CHNA process includes the following steps:
Step 1: Data of a specific geographic area is collected and included in the community health needs assessment.
Step 2: The collected data is carefully analyzed in order to understand a community’s health status and to identify the needs, gaps, access issues and barriers to both health and health services.
Step 3: Health problems and health-related needs are prioritized and an improvement strategy is developed and executed.
A periodic community needs assessment is one of the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted on March 23, 2010 as a means of enhancing the quality of health care delivery and outcomes in the United States.
Previous Community Health Needs Assessment data and Implementation Plans can be found at www.mercyhospitalvalleycity.org/community-benefits or www.citycountyhealth.org/links.