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CITY, ND – (NewsDakota.com) City-County Health District and CHI Mercy Health have released the results and findings of a recent study about community health needs in the Barnes County area.

A report detailing the findings is available for download from the health department’s website at the following link: www.citycountyhealth.org and hospital’s website at the following link: www.mercyhospitalvalleycity.org.  The report will remain available CCHD and CHI websites for several years.

The report is the culmination of a multi-month effort to assess community health needs. City-County Health District and CHI Mercy Health received assistance in conducting the assessment from the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The assessment process used a variety of methods to gather information and data about the health status and needs of the local population. These methods included a survey that was distributed to community residents and health care professionals, one-on-one interviews with community leaders, and an in-depth study of county-level statistics regarding health outcomes, health behaviors, clinical care, and the local physical environment.

More than 600 area residents provided input to the study by completing surveys and participating in interviews. In addition to helping to identify community health needs, a group of community members also provided guidance to the health department and hospital by ranking and prioritizing the identified needs.

The group collectively ranked the top four health-related needs facing the community as: (1) shortage of mental health services, (2) substance abuse (alcohol and drugs), (3) licensed child care shortage, and (4) bullying/cyber-bullying.

A periodic community needs assessment is one of the new requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The law requires non-profit hospitals such as CHI Mercy Health to assess the community’s health needs periodically. The cost of the assessment was covered by City-County Health District and CHI Mercy Health.