Over the next three months, Clara Barton Hospital and Ellinwood District Hospital will be updating the Barton County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The assessment is a follow-up to the 2012 CHNA, an IRS requirement of all 501(c)3 hospitals to conduct a community health needs assessment and adopt an implementation strategy every three years.
“We encourage the community, and our local health professionals, to take advantage of this opportunity and provide input into the future of healthcare delivery,” comments Jim Blackwell, CFO and Interim CEO and Interim CEO at Clara Barton Hospital.
The goal of this assessment update is to understand progress in addressing community needs cited in the 2012 report and to collect up-to-date community health care perceptions. To accomplish this work, a short online survey has been developed: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Barton2015
“It is important for every citizen to be involved,” reports Penny Stephenson, CFO at Ellinwood District Hospital. “This assessment helps us meet the needs of Barton County residents. We need to know what issues concern our patients the most, so that we can address them.”
All community residents and business leaders are encouraged to complete the online 2015 CHNA survey by Feb. 25, and to attend the upcoming community dinner from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on March 19, at the Immaculate Conception Parish Hall, 310 Main Street in Claflin.
VVV Research & Development LLC, an independent research firm from Olathe has been retained by the partnering hospitals to conduct this countywide research.
If you have any questions about CHNA activities, call Clara Barton Hospital at 620-653-2114 or Ellinwood District Hospital at 620-564-2548.