Jacksonville Memorial Hospital and the Morgan County Health Department are asking residents of Morgan County to complete a short survey about health issues in their communities. The survey will be used to guide community health efforts for the next three years.
Nonprofit hospitals like JMH are required by the Affordable Care Act to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to identify specific health priorities within the county where those hospitals are located. Hospitals work with other local healthcare organizations and health departments to collect this data and use it to develop a Community Health Implementation Plan to address the selected priorities.
The survey, available at memorial.health/chna-feedback/, is an important part of Memorial Health’s Community Health Needs Assessments. People who do not have internet access can complete the survey by contacting Claire Peak, JMH community health coordinator, at 217-479-3928.
“Each county we serve has unique health needs,” said Trevor Huffman, Jacksonville Memorial Hospital president and CEO. “Input from local residents is crucial to identifying those needs and formulating plans to address them.”
During the previous Community Health Needs Assessment in 2021, public input led to the selection of mental health, obesity and cancer as priorities for Morgan County. That input sparked creation of initiatives like matching dollars at the Jacksonville Farmers Market for families who use SNAP benefits.
Morgan County Health Department’s Erika Newman encouraged community members to take the brief survey. “The survey takes only a few minutes to complete, but it can have a huge impact on the health of our communities,” said Newman.