Community Health Needs Assessment - 2013

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View the Full Report Here
View the Implementation Plan Here

Executive Summary

On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, creating new requirements that nonprofit hospitals must satisfy in order to continue to qualify for exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Included were requirements that charitable hospitals conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years and adopt an implementation strategy to meet the identified needs.

Through data and community perception, a CHNA is a systematic examination of the health status within a given population to help identify key problems and assets in a community.

This report highlights the findings of the 2013 George C. Grape Community Hospital (GCGCH) CHNA through a culmination of our health status, community surveys, and collaboration between local public h ealth systems, community leader interviews, focus groups and GCGCH.

The primary service area for our assessment includes Fremont County which was established by the Voluntary Hospital Alliance (VHA) utilizing Thomson Reuters as their primary source.

There are four research components for this needs assessment:

1. Background research, including demographic an alysis
2. Community survey focusing on those seeking services from GCGCH
3. Interviews with community leaders
4. Interviews with health care professionals

The results of the CHNA will assist GCGCH leadership in responding to the health needs identified by the analysis. As an independent not-for-profit organization, we believe we must continue to invest in facilities and programs aimed at improving the well-being of the residents we serve. This idea is paramount and is the foundation of our Board approved plan of action.

This report is divided into 3 main areas.

1. Methodology - An explanation of our CHNA committee their role and purpose throughout the assessment.
2. Demographics - An explanation of the population statistics, including health and demographics. Questions used for survey purposes.
3. Key Findings - An explanation of findings utilizing those tools outlined in the executive summary which are key to improving the health of our community.

A successful CHNA must include each of the following.

• Definition of primary service area
• Identification of key health partners
• Reporting of health outcomes in the region
• Completion of a community-wide survey and focus groups
• Identification and prioritization of comn1unity health issues
• Development and implementation of strategies to address priority health issues
• Dissemination of the CHNA findings and report to stakeholder data can be somewhat skewed

Note: In support of this assessment, an appendix is included which outlines the survey tool used and provides the health rankings for Fremont County Iowa.