Trenton Health Team and Partners Identify Five Health Priorities for City Residents
Trenton, NJ (PRWEB) July 18, 2013 -- Today the Trenton Health Team (THT) identified obesity, substance abuse, safety from crime, chronic disease and health literacy as the top health priorities for city residents in a comprehensive citywide health evaluation. The THT’s findings are detailed in a federally-mandated Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), funded through a grant from New Jersey Health Initiatives and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Trenton Health Team’s innovative approach to the assessment was to engage Trenton residents as collaborators in an unprecedented way, using a combination of health data and resident feedback to establish health priorities for the city. The THT, a consortium of the city’s two hospitals, St. Francis Medical Center and Capital Health, the Henry J. Austin Health Center and the city’s Health Department, also combined forces with the city’s social services agencies to create the CHNA. Together all 33 organizations developed one holistic assessment of the city instead of several individual assessments, each with a limited view.
“Government-mandated Community Health Needs Assessments for non-profits are not new, but the Trenton Health Team’s process distinguishes this assessment from others nationwide,” said Christy Stephenson, executive vice president of St. Francis Medical Center and treasurer of the THT, who oversaw the launch of the effort some 18 months ago. ”The process empowered Trenton residents to help prioritize the issues, and 29 key community organizations in Trenton were also very involved and in fact have committed to allocating resources to address the health needs identified,” she said. The CHNA is posted on THT’s website as well as those of other organizations involved.
“By building the Trenton community into this CHNA along with other health data, the Trenton Health Team (THT) is serving our mission to transform healthcare for the city by partnering with the community to provide quality, coordinated care in more sustainable ways,” said Dr. Ruth Perry, executive director of THT. “In taking this first important step in improving population health of their city, we are working toward our vision of making Trenton the healthiest city in the state.”
THT was scheduled to share the report at today’s Trenton City Council Meeting, which has been rescheduled for next week.
Through the needs assessment, residents identified five health priorities that require community-wide attention and focus: obesity/health lifestyles, substance abuse/behavioral health, safety and crime, chronic disease and health literacy and disparities, chosen from a longer list of candidates based on health data from THT partner organizations and public sources.
During THT’s unique community engagement efforts, hundreds of Trenton residents and Trenton Health Team members talked in over 300 individual interviews over the last 18 months and 30 forums held in places of worship, community organizations, and public facilities. Priorities emerged as residents shared their personal stories, their fears, their frustrations and their health and life challenges in discussions guided by THT professionals.
Resident feedback reinforced and expanded the idea that health connects to social and environmental factors, not just medical issues. Though sharply illustrated in Trenton, this idea holds true for every community, suggesting strong ties between individual health and public health within a local geography.
“THT’s Community Health Needs Assessment process has further emphasized the critical role that public health plays in the community with the provision of nursing and environmental interventions in the home,” said James Brownlee, director of Health & Human Services and health officer for the city of Trenton.
The next step is to take the community needs identified in the CHNA and create a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to meet those needs. THT plans to include resident feedback in the development of the CHIP, which will be designed to improve the population health of their city, zip code by zip code.
Trenton’s health priorities
Trenton’s top health priorities, summarized below, can be described as the medical manifestation of social problems. These priorities occur at the intersection of challenges related to health, social and environmental aspects of daily living in the city.
Obesity/healthy lifestyles – Nearly half of the city’s children - even those as young as three to five years old – are overweight. Trenton has been identified as a food desert, due to lack of access to healthy foods. Poor food options and limited places to play have taken a toll on Trenton’s children.
Substance abuse/behavioral health – Fifty-five percent of the 2012 Mercer County substance abuse treatment admissions were cases from Trenton. Cultural and socioeconomic disparities result in a hesitancy to seek mental health services.
Safety and crime – Trenton’s rate of violent crime in 2010 was 4.5 times higher than in New Jersey’s as a whole. At least two of Trenton’s 11 gangs operate within the city’s schools. Decreased numbers of police officers, ongoing gang activity and poverty all fuel Trenton’s high crime rate.
Chronic disease – Trenton residents have high rates of diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Sixteen percent of the city’s residents were diabetic in 2009. Heart disease and cancer are two of the three leading causes of death in Mercer County. Unmanaged chronic illness leads to acute, costly, avoidable emergencies.
Health literacy and disparities – Obstacles to building health knowledge and communicating about health complicate many aspects of care. Diverse and complex language barriers also impact health literacy in Trenton, where over 35 percent of the population speaks a language other than English in the home.
About the Trenton Health Team
Trenton Health Team (THT) is an alliance of the city's major providers of healthcare services including Capital Health, St. Francis Medical Center, Henry J. Austin Health Center and the city's Health Department. In collaboration with residents and the city's active social services network, THT is developing an integrated healthcare delivery system to transform the city's fragmented primary care system and restore health to the city. THT aims to make Trenton the healthiest city in the state. The THT receives generous support from The Nicholson Foundation, corporate partners and other foundations. For more information, visit http://www.trentonhealthteam.org.
Becky Taylor, 609 240 6886, [email protected]
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