(DICKEY COUNTY) – In an effort to gauge the overall health needs of the community, CHI Oakes Hospital(OCH) and Dickey County Health District (DCHD) will survey area residents during an approximately four-week period beginning September 8th, 2021. Results of the survey will guide OCH and DCHD in addressing healthcare needs in our area. Assistance in conducting the assessment is provided by the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
OCH and DCHD strongly encourages all area residents to participate in the survey. Surveys will be distributed in various ways including local businesses, events, senior centers, and online.
Residents may access an interactive, online version of the survey at https://tinyurl.com/Oakesarea. Additionally, written copies are available by stopping at either CHI Oakes Hospital or Dickey County Health District. All survey responses are anonymous, and there is no way to track responses back to individuals. Survey responses are returned to the Center for Rural Health to help ensure anonymity. A postage-paid return envelope is included with each written survey.
The survey will allow local providers to learn of the community’s awareness of local health care services being provided, hear suggestions and help identify any gaps in services, learn about community health and other concerns, and determine preferences for using local health care versus traveling to other facilities. In addition to specific questions, the survey also seeks general, open-ended input from residents about the community’s health needs and the delivery of local health care.
Becki Thompson, President at CHI Oakes Hospital said that “the information gained from the Community Health Needs Assessment is vital to understanding the concerns and current needs of the population we serve. Partnering and working closely with Dickey County Health District will help us to address the highest priority items more effectively.”
A periodic community needs assessment is one of the requirements of the Affordable Care Act and Public Health Accreditation Board Standards.
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