Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/100875
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + LoCAL HEALTH uPDATE ��� +++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bexar County Community HealtH assessment W orK iS UNderwAY on the 2013 Bexar County C om mu n it y He a lt h Assessment, a comprehensive local health report that guides the community���s efforts toward illness prevention and health improvement. Not only was the last assessment instrumental in guiding city leadership to develop the first Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), but it also served as a blueprint for other communities across the country. ���The assessment is important because it shows us where our challenges lie, and also, with repeated assessments, provides a yardstick for our success in addressing those challenges,��� says Robert Ferrer, M.D., director of community engagement, School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine at The University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center at San Antonio. ���Now that the assessment is linked to the CHIP in three-year cycles, we���ll be able to closely follow the results of our community health initiatives,��� he says. The assessment is a signature project of The Health Collaborative (THC), a convening organization that brings together the area���s health care systems, community organizations and businesses to solve the region���s critical community health needs. ���The Health Collaborative���s forward thinking on the assessment and the CHIP is a strong contribution that will help move the needle on our local health outcomes,��� continues Dr. Ferrer, a THC board member. Since the first assessment in 1998, THC has moved from creating a point-in-time profile to a report that is more meaningful. ���Our 2010 findings encouraged community leaders to look beyond developing specific, individual programs 12 | San Antonio MD News ��� MdNewS.CoM and to address important health issues using a long-term, coordinated strategic approach,��� says Stephen Blanchard, Ph.D., 2012-13 THC Board Chair. The 2010 assessment was hailed as one of the most comprehensive in the nation. For nonprofit organizations, it is an insightful planning tool, providing data ���The assessment is important because it shows us where our challenges lie, and also, with repeated assessments, provides a yardstick for our success in addressing those challenges.��� ��� robert ferrer, m.d., director of community engagement, School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine at The university of Texas (uT) Health Science Center at San Antonio for grant writing and program development. Area health care systems use data to make critical program decisions. ���Point to any of the major health initiatives in San Antonio, from the Mayor���s Fitness Council and SA 2020 to Pre-K 4 SA, and they can be traced back to the findings of the Bexar County Community Health Assessment,��� says Sandy Morander, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio and a THC board member. ���The collaboration has been amazing.��� Based on the success of the 2010 assessment, Metro Health invited THC to serve as the host for the planning process for the first CHIP for Bexar County, building on the assessment data. ���The CHIP diversified our stakeholders and extended the linkage of the assessment and THC into the community,��� says Dr. Blanchard. ���We now consider the CHIP as the second phase of the assessment.��� Health Resources in Action (HRiA) of Boston will conduct the 2013 assessment. Key changes from 2010 to 2013 include a larger steering committee and an increased number of community meetings, focus groups and key informant interviews to engage an even larger range of stakeholders and community partners. ���The work that The Health Collaborative has done in its ongoing community health assessments is being used by other communities as a model,��� says Abby Atkins of HRiA. ���The Bexar County assessment gives the community a significant voice in the process through meetings, interviews, the live streaming of community meetings provided by NOWCast, and the data accessibility provided by NOWData.��� The first phase of the assessment is scheduled for release in February 2013 with the full report, including the CHIP, to be released in August 2013. Community meetings are open to the public. Physicians interested in becoming involved should call Elizabeth DeLaFuentes, THC Executive Director, at (210) 481-2573 or email edela.fuentes@healthcollaborative. net. The 2010 assessment can be accessed at www.healthcollaborative.net. The mission of THC is to improve the health status of the community through collaborative means. THC members include Baptist Health System, the Bexar Count y Depar t ment of Communit y Resources, CHR IST US Santa Rosa Health System, Community First Health Plans, Our Lady of the Lake University, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Methodist Healthcare System, the San Antonio Metro Health District, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, University Health System, WellMed Medical Management, Inc., the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, and Appddiction Studios. ���