South Triangle News

Central Carolina Hospital, in collaboration with the Lee County Health Department and The Lee Community Action Network (LeeCAN), has launched a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to evaluate the health needs of Lee County. This assessment aims to identify public health needs, goals, objectives, and priorities for the community.

The CHNA involves systematic collection, assembly, analysis, and dissemination of information regarding the community's overall health. Its purpose is to identify factors that negatively affect public health and assess the availability of resources to address these issues.

CCH conducted a similar assessment three years ago and is now reassessing progress and remaining challenges. The current assessment is expected to be completed by the end of August, with results shared with the community thereafter.

“Guided by the results of this important community assessment and the progress we’ve made since the last CHNA, we will soon have a more comprehensive understanding of the health needs of our community,” said Dave Santoemma, CEO of CCH. “This will help us focus our resources as we work towards making communities healthier.”

The assessment will utilize both existing and new data to evaluate local health needs and recommend improvements. Data collection has already begun through previous local, state, and federal public health organizations.

Community members, physicians, and hospital employees will be surveyed about local health issues and desired changes. This feedback will help set priorities for health improvement efforts.

“The survey will be looking at what the concerns are as seen through the eyes of the residents of Lee County,” Santoemma added.

Heath Cain, Lee County Health Director emphasized the importance of community involvement: “The Community Health Needs Assessment is an important planning tool for our community and for our agencies. Your input is crucial as our goal is to utilize the data shared and develop action plans based on the responses provided.”

Data gathering is being managed by Strata, CCH’s research partner. They will collect, quantify, and interpret data before sharing it with CCH’s board of directors to refine hospital programs ensuring they meet community healthcare needs.

Following data collection completion, a Community Health Summit is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 19 at the health department. The summit aims to share CHNA findings and gather further community input into future plans for improving public health.

“As we demonstrated with our last CHNA," Santoemma noted, "our community assessment is not meant to produce a document that will not provide improved health. It is meant to create the continuation of an action plan to help us truly improve lives."

To participate in this initiative via survey access: visit Community Health Needs (CHNA) Survey