HOISINGTON — Over the next three months, Clara Barton Hospital will be joining with the Barton County Health Department and other community health providers to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The purpose of the assessment is to better understand the current health needs of residents in the Clara Barton service area and to help identify and prioritize where and how improvements can be made. The information and insight gained through the assessment will be used to guide new strategies and enhance existing efforts to improve the health of our community.

“This assessment is key in determining what health-related deficiencies our community considers a priority. Once we identify those challenges, we are then able to address and strategize how to overcome those issues in the future,” said Jim Blackwell president/CEO of Clara Barton Hospital. “We want your opinion because once we know what concerns our community members have, we can then take the actions necessary within our means to improve it. We want to hear from everyone throughout our service area.”

Collecting residents’ feedback is vital to ensure that the assessment is properly executed and makes the greatest possible impact to elevate the health status of local communities. 

“Our last Community Health Needs Assessment identified the need for better access to mental health services, outreach specialty providers, diabetic education, and the tools to fight obesity,” said Blackwell. “We took that data and were able to add a clinical social worker, dietitian, rheumatologist and access to support groups and a variety of other specialists. Your opinion truly matters and the input we receive from this short survey provides us with the tools we need to continue to improve the health care available to our community.”

The CHNA survey is now available throughout the Clara Barton service area. This questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. It is anonymous and gives adults age 18 years and older the opportunity to share concerns, to offer suggestions and to identify and prioritize what they feel are the most important health needs throughout the community.

The CHNA survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BVTBQWC or online at clarabartonhospital.com. The survey will be available until Friday, Feb. 12.

Clara Barton Hospital and Clinics and its community partners are committed to working together to develop a strategic action plan for the upcoming years. 

Once the survey is concluded, community members will be invited to partake in a town hall meeting where survey results and community health priorities will be further discussed.