The Montgomery County Health Department is trying to build an area-wide health assessment through public survey.
The study asks residents and those who use the county’s services to answer questions about their personal health needs. Public Health Accreditation Coordinator Luke Wren says the anonymous responses will be built into a health improvement plan.
Wren says he’s hoping to get responses faster this year than during an earlier survey.
“In 2012, it was open for longer than that, which made the assessment come out even later,” Wren says. “So hopefully, if we have a great response early on, and we can keep getting surveys in a timely fashion, we can get to that number where we feel comfortable analyzing that data.”
The Montgomery County Wellness Coalition and Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health Crawfordsville are partners in the project. Wren says the numbers will give the hospital the type of community health assessment described in the Affordable Care Act. The health department is seeking accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board.
Wren says the survey should build a picture of what the county’s needs are.
“Although it is very helpful for people who take the survey for us, people should take ownership of the survey and understand that taking the survey can help them and their fellow Montgomery County residents,” Wren says.
The department expects the results in two months. From there, Wren says public focus groups will discuss problem areas and craft an improvement plan.
