Greene County Medical Center public health is conducting a community needs assessment – and the public is invited to participate by attending forums on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Thursday, Nov. 12. The forums will be held from 4 to 5:30 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jefferson. Refreshments will be served.
At the October forum there will be a presentation by Iowa State University students regarding information and statistics about the needs and concerns identified in the first community needs assessment forum held Sept. 24.
At least once every five years, the local board of health leads a community-wide discussion about potential community needs. “This is more than health needs,” said public health director Becky Wolf. “This could include jobs/wages, health insurance coverage/accessibility, transportation, substance abuse, daycare availability and affordable housing.”
Public health completed a similar assessment in 2010. Top-ranking categories from that assessment were diet/exercise, smoking/alcohol use and access to care. Public health uses results from these assessments as a “five year plan” of priorities.
The link for the most recent community needs assessment, with notes showing progress on goals, can be found on the public health page at gcmchealth.com.
