Health providers in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties have identified key areas to focus on over the next few years in an effort to identify recurring causes of poor health and improve those behaviors.
The 2024 Community Health Needs assessment is a collaborative tool among leaders from Ascension St. Vincent Evansville, Deaconess Health System, the Vanderburgh County Health Department and the Welborn Baptist Foundation. The assessment identified five areas of priority: behavioral health, aging populations, healthy families, access to care, and outreach and development.
Each hospital will narrow the scope to their specific needs and develop action plans, according to the report.
“Our pledge to the people we serve is that we will use the resources of our health system to address these needs and improve the health status of our residents,” Alex Chang, president of Ascension St. Vincent Indiana South Region, said in a news release.
The assessment serves as a guidepost for collaboration among health providers in the region. More than 130 community stakeholders responded to the assessment survey. Sixteen focus groups were held with 78 participants.
“It’s impossible for just one group in the community to have a substantial impact on all of these different priorities by themselves.” Chang said.
The assessment also satisfies certain tax-reporting requirements of the Affordable Care Act, Ascension said.