Otherwise, they’re more likely to default
to ER care, which is expensive. Better to
find out early that you have a cholesterol
problem that can be solved with a
healthy diet and exercise than to end up
in the ER for an angioplasty because you
developed heart disease.”
“Through the hospital’s foundation,
we are connecting community
supporters to the needs of community
healthcare providers. For example,
bringing more primary care providers
to the South County market to provide
adult and pediatric care and obstetrics
services. Also, supporting Foothills
Community Health Center, Gardner
South County Health Center, and
Rotocare, which provide entry-level care
out in the community. They are always
busy, which speaks volumes about
the need.”
De Paul Health Center
How Santa Clara County
Assesses Our Healthcare
Under the Affordable Care Act, non-
profit hospital organizations are required
to prepare and publish a Community
Healthcare Needs Assessment (CHNA)
once every three years. Santa Clara
County’s most recent CHNA was pub-
lished in 2016 by a Community Benefit
Coalition of representatives from seven
nonprofit hospitals; the Hospital Council
of Northern & Central California; and
the county’s Public Health Department.
The purpose of the assessment is
to gather data on county health trends
and needs, and to use this data in policy
making and program planning. For Saint
Louise and other nonprofit hospitals in
the coalition, it serves as a tool in meet-
ing state requirements for dev elopment
of Community Benefit Plans, and IRS
requirements for CHNA implementation
strategies.
The CHNA takes somewhat of a
holistic approach. In addition to the
physical and mental health of county
residents, it looks at “quality of life”
indicators such as access to healthcare,
affordable housing, childcare, education,
and employment, as well as physical,
environmental, and social factors that
impact community health.
30
Why bring up the CHNA? Because
it’s a detailed and comprehensive yet
highly readable assessment of county
health needs, and a useful way to gauge
the effectiveness of Saint Louise and
other participating hospitals (Stanford,
El Camino, Sutter Health, Kaiser Per-
manente and Lucile Packard Children’s
Hospitals) at implementing their own
Community Benefit Plans to meet the
needs in their hospital communities.
County Health
Priorities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Obesity and Diabetes
Behavioral Health
Access to Healthcare and
Healthcare Delivery
Violence
Birth Outcomes
Alzheimer’s Disease and
Dementia
Cerebrovascular Diseases
Communicable Diseases
Economic Security
Housing
Learning Disabilities
Oral and Dental Health
Respiratory Conditions
Sexual Health
Tobacco Use
Unintentional Injuries
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
What’s Next
So far, Congressional attempts to pro-
pose a healthcare replacement bill fa-
vor middle and upper-middle-income
earners, and punish the elderly—who
have been paying into the healthcare
system for decades—as well as the
poor and people with pre-existing
health conditions. If Congress has its
way, by the year 2026, a 64-year-old
earning $26,500 a year will be forced
to pay $14,500 for insurance. That’s
about eight times more than what
would be required under the Afford-
able Care Act, and it wouldn’t leave
enough to cover room and board in
Santa Clara County.
As Roger Knopf said, “It’s time to
have a good discussion about health-
care, and the discussion doesn’t belong
in Congress. It belongs with the pay-
ors, providers, physicians and patient
advocates.”
Sources:
The Commonwealth Fund, common-
wealthfund.org/publications
Santa Clara County Community Health
Needs Assessment, 2016, stlouise.ver-
ity.org/wp-conten
Health Affairs, healthaffairs.org/
blog/2016/07/06
Saint Louise Hospital, stlouise.verity.org.
Kaiser Permanente,kaiserpermanente.org
gmhtoday.com