KIRSTEN BARRETT, PHD SURVEY AND EVALUATION RESEARCH LABORATORY VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY Community Health Needs Assessment: A Practical Example

The Harvest Foundation  Located 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 Area Henry 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 I  Getting 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 II  Doing 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,

Phase III Disseminating the findings Board presentation Written reports and summary document Information available via the web Timeline: June 2003 to August 2003 BRFSS Report Secondary Data BookSecondary Data Book (SERL) Secondary DataSecondary 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)