Community Health
What is a Community Health Needs Assessment?
As part of the new requirements for not-for-profit hospitals, every facility is required to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years and put together a plan to meet the community needs that the assessment identifies.
Every community has different health care needs, including diabetes management, obesity and weight loss management, chronic illness, substance abuse, sexual health, and more.
That's why our assessment team pulls together a broad set of health care consumers from each service area to help us identify the health needs of each individual community.
Our Community Health Needs Assessment project is intended to highlight the health needs of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford County residents. Results from studies are used for strategic decision marking purposes as they directly relate to the health needs of the local community.
2013 Community Health Assessment Report
The most recent Community Health Needs Assessment was conducted in 2013. Based on the results of that study in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties, we identified eight strategic areas of focus:
- Access to Health Services
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Healthy Behaviors
- Mental Health
- Obesity
- Substance Abuse
Work is ongoing, but to date we've accomplished:
-
Hired three full time Faith Community Nurses (FCN). Two of the nurses are assigned to identified areas with a higher low income population. The third is assigned to the Catholic Diocese area.
- Identified baseline data based on the areas above for utilization of the Emergency Department, access to care and primary diagnosis
- Continue to host the community steering committee for FCN. Presented Community Health data and vision to members in March 2015
- Continue to offer "Wellness on the Run" education series
- Advanced Care Planning sessions held at City of Refuge in January with over 30 in attendance
- Women’s Health presentation in February at local church
- Cancer Healthy behavior program at a church in March
- Continue to review and promote monthly health observances
- Distributing educational materials at community agencies- administered Heartland Clinic brochures to churches
- Planning nutritional programming in local schools with affiliation of current school nurses in Washington and Illini Bluffs
- Organized an Easter giving of cereal boxes and non-perishable items to local food banks and kitchen
- Developed and held first meeting with medical directors of services lines of OSF Medical Group, JUMP, Cancer, Cardiac, Women’s Services and Illinois Neurological Institute (INI) with the purpose of coordinating local community efforts on wellness and prevention with education on healthy behaviors, cancer and cardiac prevention as well as access to care issues.
- Met with local school in low income zip code to explore opportunities for school nurse.
- Met with superintendents of Limestone School District to give education on community needs assessment and opportunities for partnerships with schools, churches, and OSF to meet community needs assessment.
- Medical Director of Business and Community Health met with local sheriff/police to explore opportunities between crime, healthcare, and underserved populations.