WC Iowa News

Community Health Needs Assessment

Every not-for-profit hospital in the United States is required, under the regulations promulgated in the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, to produce a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) plan every three years. CCMH began this process in 2013 by posting its first CHNA plan. In accordance with the regulations cited above, it has posted an updated plan in 2016, 2019, and now in 2022. The newest CHNA plan can be accessed by clicking on the link in the box next to this article.

The Obamacare regulations also require that CCMH take into account input from persons who represent the broad interests of the community served by the hospital facility, including those with special knowledge of or expertise in public health.

To this end, CCMH conducted a public survey from July through October 2022 and requested participation by all residents of Crawford County. CCMH reproduced the same survey in Spanish and encouraged all of our Spanish-speaking residents to take the survey as well. CCMH also conducted a focus group with local healthcare professionals.

The CHNA plan and implementation strategy prepared by CCMH takes into account a number of factors:

• Define the community it serves.
• Assess the health needs of that community.
• In assessing the community’s health needs, solicit and take into account input received from persons who represent the broad interests of that community, including those with special knowledge of or expertise in public health.
• Document the CHNA in a written report (CHNA report) that is adopted for the hospital facility by an authorized body of the hospital facility.
• Make the CHNA report widely available to the public. CCMH meets this requirement by posting the CHNA plan to our website, and providing a paper copy, free of charge, to those who request one.

CHNA Plan Results

Using survey data, research information provided by the University of Wisconsin, and focus group feedback, three prioritized health needs were identified for Crawford County:

Access to Health Care

1. This need was selected because of the overwhelming identification of the issue by community members through the survey as well as focus group participants.

Obesity Prevention

2. This need was selected because the management of obesity is a top priority for both the community as well as medical providers. By focusing on the prevention of obesity, Crawford County Memorial Hospital can help the community achieve a healthier lifestyle through consistent community engagement and resource allocation.

Mental Health

3. This need was selected because of the ongoing challenges with finding mental health providers and appropriate services. In addition, survey and focus group members noted that the behavioral health and substance abuse delivery system in the region is difficult to access and fragmented.

Strategies to address these needs include:

• Increase public awareness of available programs addressing health care coverage, primary care access and related social services.
• Maintain partnerships with Crawford County Public Health to bring education and training opportunities to the community.
• Continue to grow CCMH Community Wellness Events to provide low-cost health screenings.
• Support local organizations dedicated to training healthcare professionals to fill current needs (i.e. Western Iowa Tech Community College).
• Increase public awareness of healthy lifestyles and its impact on chronic disease prevention by offering education classes and programs for families to build knowledge and skills.
• Run healthy eating / living campaigns on social media.
• Provide and support community programs designed to increase physical activity.
• Increase collaboration with community partners to improve access to healthy food, physical activity and healthy lifestyle services and supports.
• Improve practices for prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of overweight and obesity
• Renew efforts for public education regarding mental health through the use of news releases, social media posts, personal visits, and group presentations.

As noted above, you can access the entire 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment Plan here. To request a paper copy, contact CCMH by calling 712-265-2515.

Original source can be found here.