Needs Assessment Overview

One of the first decisions made by the Foundation for Community Health was to undertake an assessment of the health needs and resources in the communities served by Sharon Hospital. Such up-to-date information was and is felt to be fundamental to effective grant-making, other program activities and to the over-all mission of the Foundation. We also envision that the assessment process itself will be a continuing one. In this way, the Foundation can be responsive to changing health policies and conditions as well as have a mechanism for evaluating the impact of our activities in the future.

The initial assessment process had 4 main components:

  • an analysis of existing assessments done by other organizations;
  • a survey targeting local healthcare and social service providers;
  • focus groups comprised of community members who represented different segments of our general population; and
  • an assessment of oral health, which will be completed in the fall of 2005.

Through this assessment process, which was supported by interviews and consultations with local leaders and health and human service providers, the Foundation for Community Health identified critical needs in three areas: mental health, oral health and increasing access to services.

  • Mental health care was deemed critically important, especially by providers and focus group participants for all ages, with a strong push for addressing identified substance abuse needs concurrently.
  • All aspects of the assessment reported shortages in the area of affordable and accessible oral health care. In addition, the literature on oral health has clearly demonstrated the importance of good oral health in our ability to be healthy and productive members of our community.
  • The Foundation plans to support activities that increase access to services. Transportation was identified as the number one factor affecting access; however, the Foundation is also interested in addressing other issues which affect our rural communities such as: a shortage of providers, especially Medicaid providers, inability to pay for services, lack of health insurance, lack of knowledge of available resources, and language barriers, etc.

The Foundation adopted a strategy which prioritized funding efforts which address these three critical areas.