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Initiatives are underway to improve the health of communities in each of Intermountain's regions. In 2012, Intermountain Healthcare's Community Benefit Department created a system-wide process to guide the development of 2013 Community Benefit Goals for communities served by Intermountain's hospitals.
Community Health Needs Assessments conducted at the hospitals identified four health priorities. The assessment included data on 46 health indicators, as well as input from Intermountain trustees, community leaders, and hospital staff. The results helped develop hospital-specific, three-year implementation plans with detailed annual goals. This is the first year each hospital is required to develop an implementation plan (a requirement of the federal Affordable Care Act).
The four health priorities identified for 2013 include:
- Improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of chronic diseases associated with unhealthy weight and behaviors.
- Improve access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services for low-income populations.
- Improve access to appropriate behavioral health services for low-income populations.
Improve childhood injury and accident prevention.
Community Benefit goals also support at least two strategic objectives:
- Improve healthcare for low-income populations.
- Reduce the cost of healthcare for the community and Intermountain.
Internal teams in all regions are implementing initiatives and collecting data with community partners to meet these goals.
Intermountain is also addressing health priorities through system-wide initiatives. For example, Intermountain is partnering with community agencies in several counties to create access to behavioral health services for low-income residents. Intermountain is also piloting a telehealth psychiatric service for its rural hospitals.
For a hospital-by-hospital list of the 2013 Community Benefit Goals, contact Terry Foust at terry.foust@imail.org.