Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) has recently contracted with the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). This assessment or evaluation of the area’s wellness strengths and weaknesses creates an important opportunity to improve major health needs of the Decatur County Community. As a 501©3 non-profit hospital, DCMH is required by the IRS to complete such a study every 3 years.
The first step in the process requires a selected sampling of community representatives. In July the assessment steering committee led by Decatur County Memorial Hospital CEO, Linda Simmons organized a public meeting held at the hospital to gather input. Business owners, local officials, healthcare providers, minority leaders, clergy, student representatives, and other interested parties were invited to attend the meeting to discuss the health-related needs of the community to identify the areas of greatest concern.
The second step of the process will require an expanded range of input, and DCMH needs your help. From the information obtained at the July meeting, a survey has been developed to gain the perspective of the wider population of the community. Questions include queries about the effect of various factors (such as illegal drugs, teen pregnancy, and obesity), as well as probes into the perceived need for various services and facilities in the community. The survey will be accessible to the residents of Decatur County through the Decatur County Memorial Hospital’s website, Facebook, hospital waiting rooms, email, grocery stores and local gyms in the community. All completed hard copy surveys may be mailed directly to the hospital or submitted via designated drop-off sites.
It is very important for community members to participate in this survey. These efforts will help DCMH identify the key heath-needs for Decatur County. Once the survey results are returned, DCMH will then create a Community Health Improvement Plan by drawing upon the data obtained and combining it with information from the previous study (completed in 2013). The plan will outline strategic actions that can be taken by the hospital and other community organizations to address the focus points identified and meet health needs that are not currently being met.
The completed CHNA results will be publically posted on DCMH’s website, with hard copies of the full report available to any community member by request.
To complete the survey online, go to www.dcmh.net/CommunityHealthNeedsAssessment and click on the survey link listed on the page.