Daviess Community Hospital was the site for a kick off meeting last Friday for the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Thirty-five key stakeholders from Daviess County participated and have committed to actively participate in this year’s 2019 CHNA focus groups.
Phil Ellis and Collette Rhoads from the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) facilitated the meeting which included discussions regarding our Community/County strengths, values, and needs. The IRHA will assemble the information from the meeting and begin the process of creating a county-wide surveys, conducting individual interviews and tabulating the results.
The end result of the CHNA which is conducted every three years is to obtain an assessment of the communities’ health status, barriers to care, and other demographic and social issues affecting our community. The assessment will help focus resources and drive change to support preventive healthcare.
The goals of these assessments are to 1) provide an understanding of the health needs in our community; 2) guide county-wide collaborative planning efforts for the next three years; and 3) to serve as the basis of an implementation strategy that addresses prioritized needs. The benefits of the CHNA are numerous including: raising awareness for key health issues, identifying the issues and targeting root causes.
Since 2013, all Community Not-for-Profit Hospitals must complete a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) in order to continue to receive IRS benefits as a tax-exempt organization. One requirement is to obtain input from leaders in the community who can provide observations and opinions regarding community needs. Daviess Community hospital will use the results as it develops its plan for responding to the needs which are identified.
Each of the top identified needs will ultimately have a task force from DCH and the community working on solutions. Health needs which were identified in the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment were: Substance Use, Affordability/Accessibility, Physicians, Obesity, & Mental Health. Results from the 2013 and 2016 CHNA led to Steering Committee and Task Force initiatives such as: sponsoring the inaugural Hoosier Bicycle Classic, partnering with the Daviess County Mental Health Association, working with Purdue Extension to host an Active Living Workshop.
DCH has formed a core Steering Committee to work on implementation strategies to combat each assessed need. The Steering Committee is comprised of several members of the community and from the hospital.
Those members include from DCH: Scott Sell, Director of Strategic Development (Chair), Tracy Conroy, CEO, Keith Miller, COO, Nancy Case, CNO, Randy Russel, CFO, Angie Steiner, Director of Business Development, & Amy Wagner, Corporate Health Consultant.
From our Community: Joe Wellman, Mayor, Dan Murrie, Prosecutor, Greg Smith, Circuit Court Judge, Cindy Barber, Purdue Extension, Bryant Niehoff, Executive Director Daviess County Economic Development, Dan Roach, Superintendent Washington Community Schools, Jodi Berry, Asst. Superintendent, North Daviess Community Schools, Mandy Ash, Barr Reeve School Nurse, Eric Bassler, State Senator, and numerous other community representatives.
