Hospital Corner: Determining the community’s health needs
When a car accident sent me to the emergency room in April 2023, I was surprised by a few of the questions I was asked upon arrival. The triage nurse asked me about the accident and where I had pain. After that she asked me if I had any issues accessing food, clothing or shelter. She also inquired if I ever felt depressed. These seemingly off-topic questions about social determinants and mental health are a direct result of the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment.
This assessment, last performed in 2021, helps identify health needs in our community. Social determinants such as housing and food access were identified as a barrier to health for some community members. Mental health and substance abuse prevention was also identified as a priority. Thus, these questions are now routine in the emergency department upon admission to help identify at risk patients and help to connect them with community resources.
If I answered yes to any of the questions, a case manager would see me during my visit and assist me by educating me about resources available in the community as well as help me with a plan.
“We don’t know what we are missing until people tell us what is missing,” said Marissa Hepner, director of care continuum at Logan Health – Whitefish. “The Community Health Needs Assessment gives us a picture of what is missing so we can fill in the gaps and create care pathways for our patients connecting them to the resources that will assist in improving their overall health in addition to their immediate needs.”
Hepner, along with Heather Murray, represent Logan Health – Whitefish in this community-wide effort. Logan Health – Whitefish along with Logan Health Medical Center, Greater Valley Health Center and the Flathead City-County Health Department sponsor the assessment every three years. The assessment is currently underway and will close on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.
The assessment aims to achieve three goals:
1. To improve the health status, increase life spans and elevate the overall quality of life for community members.
2. To reduce health disparities.
3. To increase accessibility to preventative services for all community members.
Once the assessment takes place, Hepner and her counterparts will work together alongside representatives from other Flathead Valley health organizations, coalitions and task forces to generate a Community Health Improvement Plan.
The Health Care Reform Legislation (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) requires nonprofit hospitals to perform a community health needs assessment every three years and adopt an implementation strategy to meet the outstanding community health needs identified in the assessment as a condition of maintaining the institution’s federal tax exemption.
The survey is open to anyone in the community. Provide input by taking the survey today. Visit logan.org/FlatheadCHNA to take the survey before it closes on Friday, Aug. 9.