KIRSTEN BARRETT, PHD SURVEY AND EVALUATION RESEARCH LABORATORY VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

Community Health Needs Assessment:

A Practical Example

The Harvest FoundationLocated in the Martinsville City

Sale of Memorial Health System

Required that a foundation be formed to carry on the hospital’s mission of improving the health, welfare and education of the community.

Foundation charged with investing proceeds from hospital’s sale and use earnings to fund grants in the local community

Board of the hospital that was sold became the Board of the Harvest Foundation

The Harvest AreaHenry County and Martinsville City

Population: 73,346

Median HH Income Henry County: $31,816 Martinsville City: $27,441 Virginia: $46,667

Approximately 66% have a HS education or higher l82% statewide and 80% nationally

Martinsville City more racially diverse than Henry County

Population slightly older than that seen statewide

Rural, manufacturing community Economically depressed Medically underserved

“The Harvest Area” Henry County and Martinsville City

Key Players

The Harvest Foundation ◦ The Board ◦ The interim executive director ◦ The newly hired executive director ◦ The health consultant

The community Survey Research Lab. Staff

◦ Jim Ellis, Andrea Glaze, Kirsten Barrett

Phase I Getting the work

Phase II Doing the work

Phase III Disseminating the findings

Phase IV Community Capacity Assessment and Strategic Planning

Phases of the Needs Assessment

Phase IGetting the work Initial meeting at The Harvest Foundation Writing the proposal Negotiating the budget Securing contract

Timeline: September 2002 to January 2003 During this “unfunded” period, there is a lot of time and energy put into “getting the contract”

Phase IIDoing the work Modified BRFSS Secondary data book YRBS Reality: PRIDE Survey

Triangulating data Timeline: December 2002 to May 2003

Secondary “versus” Primary Data

Healthy People 2010 Target: 90% of live births having prenatal care initiated in the first trimester.Source: Virginia Department of Health. Health Profile - Henry County and Martinsville City, 1996-2001

Phase IIIDisseminating the findings Board presentation Written reports and summary document Information available via the web

Timeline: June 2003 to August 2003

BRFSS Report

Secondary Data Book (SERL) Secondary Data (Harvest)

Summary Document

Phase IV Community Capacity Assessment and Strategic Planning

◦ Identify key issues facing community ◦Determine current service capacity in terms of key issues ◦Best practice review ◦Develop preliminary “model” ◦Strategic plan for the Board to guide funding decision over the next four to six years

Timeline: September 2003 to March 2004

Research-related ◦ Level of involvement by the client and health consultant ◦ Phone numbers ◦ “Small community” ◦ IRB and YRBS issues ◦ Data at level of geography and by sub-populations ◦ Interrelatedness of health, economics, education, etc. ◦ Impact of new executive director on information dissemination

“Challenges”

Philosophical What is the best data to use? Appropriate level of Board involvement? Appropriate level of “community” involvement? Best way to disseminate information to the community? Timing of grants relative to the community capacity assessment? Coordination of efforts in the community capacity assessment?

“Challenges” (con’t)