Calhoun County Community Health Needs Assessment, 2013

The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires nonprofit hospitals to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) every three years. An assessment of the community’s health allows hospitals and other organizations in the community to obtain a picture of the major health needs facing residents. When multiple hospitals and other organizations conduct a needs assessment together, they gain the benefit of a variety of perspectives, knowledge, and expertise. Thus, the ACA allows hospitals to conduct a CHNA in partnership with other hospitals, and requires them to seek input from:
 Persons with special knowledge of or expertise in public health;  Federal, tribal, regional, state, or local health or other departments or agencies, with current data or other information relevant to the health needs of the community served by the hospital facility; and  Leaders, representatives, or members of medically underserved, low-income, and minority populations with chronic disease needs, in the community served by the hospital facility.
HOSPITALS AND OTHER PARTNERS To this end, three hospitals that share Calhoun County as a service area—Bronson Battle Creek, Oaklawn Hospital, and Southwest Regional Rehabilitation Center—came together to jointly conduct a CHNA, and invited several additional partners to work with them, forming an 11-member Assessment Advisory Committee. The partners in the assessment were:

Battle Creek Community Foundation 

Bronson Battle Creek 

Calhoun County Public Health Department 

Community HealthCare Connections 

Family Health Center of Battle Creek 

Integrated Health Partners

Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Health Department 

Oaklawn Hospital 

Southwest Regional Rehabilitation Center 

Summit Pointe 

United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region

 

The partners on the committee brought a variety of perspectives and expertise. While many are generally familiar with public health practices and evidence-based interventions, special knowledge of and expertise in public health was primarily provided by staff from the Calhoun County Public Health Department (CCPHD) and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) Health Department.

 

The committee began with the list of 15 major health issues described in the key findings from the quantitative data and worked to narrow the list and rank a final set of issues. Each committee member completed a ranking worksheet on which they numbered each issue from 1 to 15. The committee narrowed the list to 10 priority areas, a few of which combined major health issues into a single category. 

 

IDENTIFIED PRIORITIES

1. Overweight and obesity, including nutrition and physical activity

 2. Access to care

3. Chronic disease, including diabetes, heart disease, hypertension

4. Mental health

5. Teen pregnancy

6. Maternal and infant health and infant mortality

7. Addiction

8. Cancer

9. Oral health

10. Sexually transmitted infections

Also includes 4 attachments: 

TCC Community Report Card 2011-12

Calhoun County 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey

Summary of Key Informant Interview Findings

Summary of Focus Group Findings