Fitzgibbon Hospital Completes Health Needs Assessment

April 28, 2016

To ensure the services it provides are responsive to the health needs of its community, Fitzgibbon Hospital has completed its second comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment as required under the Affordable Care Act.  All not-for-profit 501(c)3 hospitals are required to complete an assessment of the health needs in their community every three years. The next step is development of an Implementation Plan to address the identified needs, which are:

• Obesity

• Preventive Care and Wellness

• Health Literacy Improvement and Early Health Education

“The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act challenged all charitable hospitals to ensure they are developing programs and services in response to the actual health needs of the people they serve. Conducting this formal assessment once every three years provides us valuable input, spurs dialogue, and allows for thoughtful consideration of both the health needs of our community, as well as the barriers and challenges our patients and families face every day," said Darin L. Haug, D.O., President and CEO of Fitzgibbon Hospital.

The process of assessing the needs of the community began in January of 2015 as a committee of key staff members with experience in conducting such assessments came together. Led by Amy Weber, Manager of Business Development and Governmental Relations, the committee members were Angy Littrell, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer; Nancy Harris, Controller; and Roberta Griffitt, MSN, RN, Nurse Manager, Rural Health Clinics. Representatives from financial services were included because ultimately the requirement is enforceable via the IRS.

In 2013, Fitzgibbon Hospital conducted the first such Afford able Care Act-required survey to determine the health needs of the community and identified smoking, obesity and preventive care and wellness as the top health challenges facing the Saline County area.

As part of the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment, Fitzgibbon Hospital set out to assess the programs that were enacted as a result of the 2013 survey. The survey results were compiled and evaluated and then presented to and approved by the Fitzgibbon Hospital Board of Directors on Tuesday, April 28, during their normal monthly board meeting.

“At its most fundamental level, a community health needs assessment of this type is a valuable tool for planning. The information compiled will be used to help Fitzgibbon Hospital and other health and social service organizations identify and prioritize problems and develop and implement action plans. Together, we can then work to strategically align our resources and make the greatest impact in improving community health, ensuring access to care, and reducing health disparities," said Dr. Haug.

A review of the 2016 Robert Woods Johnson County Health Rankings shows Saline County has fallen from 50th to 67th of 115 counties in the state of Missouri for Health Outcomes. The percent of county residents who reported their overall health status as in “Poor or Fair Health” rose from 15 percent in 2012 to 20 percent in 2016. The percentage of days each month that county residents cited as “poor physical health days” rose from 2.7 in 2012 to 4.4 in 2016.

"Over the course of the next several months, Fitzgibbon Hospital will be developing our implementation plan to address the areas of greatest concern, taking into consideration our capacity to create change and support our mission. That plan, like this Community Health Needs Assessment, will be approved by the Fitzgibbon Hospital Board of Trustees," continued Dr. Haug.

Anyone interested in reading the Community Health Needs Assessment in its entirety may download the complete documents for 2013 and 2016 at the Fitzgibbon Hospital website located at www.fitzgibbon.org. The links are located in the footer of every page on the site, or the document is available upon request.

For more information about Fitzgibbon Hospital's 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment, contact: Amy Weber, Manager of Business Development and Governmental Relations, at Fitzgibbon Hospital by calling 660.886.7431.

*2012 rates were cited in the Fitzgibbon Hospital 2013 CHNA.