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Healthier Sussex hospitals unite to assess community needs

December 12, 2016

The Healthier Sussex County Task Force, consisting of representatives from the three hospitals in the county and multiple community partners, came together for the second time to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment. "While each hospital has to develop its own assessment and implementation plan for improving the health of the communities it serves, working together is important to making a larger impact on the health of our residents," said Steven Rose, RN, MN, CEO of Nanticoke Health Services.

Working together, the member hospitals, including Bayhealth Milford Memorial, Beebe Healthcare and Nanticoke Health Services, identify areas of need that are common throughout the county. The goal is to develop initiatives where the organizations can pool resources to make a greater impact for all. Efficiencies in sharing resources began with the collection of data for the assessment itself. Together the group compiled data collected from surveys and interviews with community members from all sectors and regions of Sussex County to find common concerns. In addition to the more than 129 stakeholders surveyed, over 2,100 community members were surveyed, and they were asked what they felt were some of the most important health needs and what barriers to care they experience.

"Combined with federal and state data, the feedback from the community helps us determine which areas to focus on first," said Jeffrey M. Fried, FACHE, president and CEO, Beebe Healthcare. "This is the second time we have worked through this process since 2012, and we have had some great successes." Among the projects the task force has tackled are care initiatives such as providing quarterly hemoglobin A1c testing for patients with diabetes, and increasing awareness about breast cancer screening and early detection. The group is currently working to ensure lung cancer screenings are available across the county. Together they will continue to measure impacts of screenings and raise awareness about early detection for lung cancer.

"The latest assessment has identified healthcare issues that impact all of our communities," said Terry Murphy, FACHE, president and CEO, Bayhealth. "Mental health and substance abuse issues are a big challenge for Delaware and for Sussex County. Working together, we are digging further into the patterns that each community is facing so that we can look for ways to help these patients more effectively." Another widespread concern is the high percentage of residents that are either overweight or obese. The task force began with formal efforts to address obesity through the Plus 3 program launched in 2014; this program has now been launched statewide as Motivate the First State and is gaining traction across the entire state. While there has been some improvement, there is still a great deal of work to be done.

For Healthier Sussex County, the overriding goal is to continue to work to improve the health of county residents. In 2016, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported in its annual national report that Sussex County ranked No. 1 of the three counties in Delaware for Health Outcomes. Although Sussex County was ranked No. 2 for Health Factors overall, Sussex ranked No. 1 for Length of Life and No. 1 for Quality of Life within the Health Factors category.

Many of the needs identified in the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment will serve as the foundation for future task force initiatives and programming. As they move forward, the task force continues to grow community partnerships and build upon existing strategies in an effort to positively impact the overall health of those living in Sussex County. Key community partners include La Red Health Center, the Sussex County Health Coalition and the Healthy Neighborhood Council established through the Delaware Center for Health Innovation. For more information, go to www.healthiersussexcounty.com.

 

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