As Penn Medicine Princeton Health continues work on its triennial community health needs assessment (CHNA), some of the themes that emerged so far are familiar.
A need for behavioral health resources, for instance, along with services for the region’s growing senior population and healthy eating/active living programs to help combat obesity. Access to care and maternal/child health have been identified as priorities as well.
The CHNA, which will be presented to the Princeton Health Board of Trustees in November, will highlight those issues and more. The health needs and priorities identified in the report will be based on a mix of qualitative research—mainly through broad community engagement— and quantitative data on socioeconomic and health indicators in the study area, which includes parts of Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties.
“The community health needs assessment is valuable to our organization and the community in many ways,” said Carol Norris-Smith, vice president of Marketing & Public Affairs. “We use the findings to prioritize expansion or enhancement of clinical services and creation of health education and outreach programs. The CHNA is shared publicly and posted online, so other providers in the community can use the findings to guide their services as well.”
The CHNA will be supplemented by a strategic implementation plan, or SIP, that details Princeton Health’s plans to address the community’s most pressing needs, said Debbie Millar, director of Community Wellness. Senior leaders, directors and managers from across Princeton Health have been working with Community Wellness staff to develop the SIP.
The CHNA and SIP process began with robust community involvement. Engaging community members is always a priority, and this year Princeton Health stepped up its effort, holding nine focus groups— up from six in 2015—and 14 in-depth interviews with community stakeholders.
More than 100 people were engaged in those activities, including older adults; parents; EMTs; staff and board members of service organizations such as the YMCA; public health officers; school administrators, nurses and counselors; government officials; housing organization members; and Princeton Health representatives, including hospital staff and volunteers, members of the Cancer Committee and physicians on the Medical Advisory Board.
In addition, 1,037 individuals who live or work in Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties completed a community health survey.
Finally, Community Wellness staff gathered supporting data from various sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Labor, the state departments of Health and Education and national databases that compile county-level data, such as the University of Wisconsin’s County Health Rankings.
Watch for updates in future editions of Happenings.