Community Health Needs Assessment Underway in Milwaukee County
The Partnership’s health system members (Aurora Health Care, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and Froedtert Health) share the funding and design of Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) in six southeastern Wisconsin counties. Conducted every three years, the CHNAs serve as the foundation from which hospitals and local health departments develop their respective community health improvement strategies.
The Milwaukee county CHNA began earlier this year, with final publication slated for January 2019. The assessment is comprised of three components:
- Community Health Survey– An 18-minute, phone-based survey of 2,400 Milwaukee county residents that addresses adult and child health risk factors, health behaviors and perceptions of pressing community health needs. It includes questions related to health care access, routine screenings, immunizations, injury prevention, communicable diseases, mental health, chronic disease, women’s health, tobacco and alcohol use, diet, physical activity, and other health behaviors.
- Key Informant Interviews– Conducted with more 50 civic and health leaders to identify community health needs, contributing social factors, and organizations best suited to address those issues.
- Secondary Data Analysis– A review of Milwaukee health indicators taken from local, state and national sources and studies.
The Partnership’s 2015 CHNA revealed that chronic disease, mental health, substance abuse, violence, and access to care were the leading health concerns for Milwaukee County residents. Several reports from the most recent Milwaukee county CHNA are available at mkehcp.org/publications.