| HOMEAREA ATTRACTIONS | OUTDOORS | EVENTS | COMMUNITY | PHOTO GALLERY | BUSINESSES |

Libby Montana News Archive

LibbyMt.com > News > August 2010 > St. John’s Hospital Community Health Survey

St. John’s Hospital Community Health Survey
Please voice your opinions
by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
August 17, 2010

LIBBY - Randomly selected community members in South Lincoln County may soon be receiving a survey form in their mailbox. This survey, sent to a random sample of homes, will help St. John’s Lutheran Hospital and other local health care providers identify the health services needed in the community.

St. John’s Lutheran Hospital has been selected by the Montana Healthcare Research and Education Foundation and the Montana Office of Rural Health to participate in the Community Health Services Development Program with survey assistance from the National Rural Health Resource Center of Duluth, Minnesota.

Through this program, South Lincoln County has received assistance designed to help communities stabilize their health care delivery system. The same program has been used in other Montana communities as a way to develop and maintain quality health care to serve the continuing and future needs of the community.

Your local hospital, SJLH, is assisting in the development of this initiative. "We are very excited about working with St. John’s on this project," said Kristin Juliar, Director of the Montana Office of Rural Health. "The CHSD Program promotes health care as a local affair. Citizens of rural counties can take responsibility for the health of their community. Most communities face a large number of complex issues in providing high quality healthcare, but fortunately, South Lincoln County can engage effective problem-solving, which is the most important factor in the survival of rural health services."

South Lincoln County will receive assistance in identifying their most important health concerns through the use of an economic impact assessment and a community health survey that will be distributed to a random sample in August, 2010. The survey will analyze local community needs, use of local health care services, and overall community health. Please look for that survey in your mailbox. By completing these surveys, Libby and Troy residents will assist in developing community goals and strategies to address concerns. An accompanying goal is to keep health care dollars within the local community. While the vast majority of health care can be provided locally, rural citizens often drive to large medical centers for care, spending money on health care and non-health care purchases that could be spent locally. It is estimated that within a typical rural community, millions of dollars of revenue is lost in this way. This revenue could be retained in the local community with stronger community- health care provider linkages.

"We are pleased to be able to bring some of the best community health resources in the country to St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. The goal of this initiative is to assist forward-thinking rural hospitals and communities in aligning their resources, to address their present and future needs in the best way possible," said Terry Hill, Executive Director of the National Rural Health Resource Center.

"We continually strive to meet the health needs of our area and we do this by listening to the comments and suggestions of our patients and their families," commented Bill Patten, CEO at St. John’s. "The Community Health Assessment Survey and Focus Groups are avenues for our community members to use to help us plan for the future of healthcare in our area. I encourage everyone to participate so they can have their opinions heard."

Focus Group Session will also be available for those who did not receive surveys. They are open to the public. The sessions will be held on August 25th and August 26th. You can call Kate at 293-0187 or e-mail her at kstep@sjlh.com to reserve your spot."

For more information on St. John’s Lutheran Hospital’s community needs survey or accompanying focus groups, contact KC Hoyer at 406-293-0106.



Related Links
  • www.sjlh.org - St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
  • LibbyMt.com > News > August 2010 > St. John’s Hospital Community Health Survey
    | HOMEAREA ATTRACTIONS | OUTDOORS | EVENTS | COMMUNITY | PHOTO GALLERY | BUSINESSES |
    All page content copyright 2010. All rights reserved. May not be used without permission.

    home page
    LibbyMT.com
    PO Box 940, Libby, MT 59923
    406-293-3608
    e-mail: info@libbymt.com