To better serve the Flint and Genesee County community, the area’s three hospital systems, Genesys Health System, Hurley Medical Center, and McLaren-Flint have partnered with the Greater Flint Health Coalition to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) – a new federal requirement of all non-profit hospitals to better understand the communities they serve and strategically invest resources to improve the health of residents over the long-term.
As founding members of the Greater Flint Health Coalition, Genesys Health System, Hurley Medical Center, and McLaren-Flint completed the CHNA by collectively supporting and expanding the GFHC’s Community Data Scorecard, a data collection tool that includes 265 community health metrics monitoring demographic, social, economic, environmental, healthcare access, healthcare cost, and public health status measures and data for Flint and Genesee County.
Through the leadership of Genesys Health System, Hurley Medical Center, McLaren-Flint, and the Greater Flint Health Coalition, this CHNA collected and analyzed data from a network of partners including public health professionals, health insurers, physicians, government agencies, school systems, businesses, and residents. In addition to the data, the CHNA process included engagement of approximately 2,200 local stakeholders and community residents from Flint and Genesee County.
The primary health needs for Flint and Genesee County identified through the CHNA are shown below, all supporting a goal of improved health behaviors and health outcomes for all residents:
· Increased Physical Activity & Active Living;
· Improved Nutrition & Diet;
· Tobacco-Free Living (Anti-smoking Activities);
· Effective Health Care Delivery for the Aging Population;
· Infant & Child Health Improvement;
· Improved Physical Environment, Neighborhood Safety, & Transportation.
The CHNA was approved by the respective Boards of Directors of Genesys Health System, Hurley Medical Center, and McLaren-Flint in June 2013 and has been posted to their respective websites for viewing by the community. The CHNA can also be found at www.gfhc.org/CHNA.
In the coming months, Genesys Health System, Hurley Medical Center, McLaren-Flint, and the Greater Flint Health Coalition will continue working together on an Implementation Plan to strategically improve the health of Flint and Genesee County residents in the primary health needs identified, strategically investing resources in order to maximize the benefit to the community.
