Area’s top needs for health care sought in survey
Service improvement is goal
ROGERS — Area providers want to know what people think are Northwest Arkansas’ greatest health care needs.
A group of 13 health care organizations and public agencies have partnered to develop a 25-question survey asking people to identify health care problems and to provide information about problems they have encountered in accessing health care themselves.
Loy Bailey, head of the Benton County Unit of the state Health Department, said the last such survey in the area was done in 2004. He said the information gathered at that time was used to help focus health care resources and to address areas that had been underserved. More information on diabetes education was developed and made available as a result of that survey, he said. Tobacco cessation programming was another area of emphasis coming out of the earlier survey.
“The four-county area hasn’t been approached with a common tool since 2004,” Bailey said.
Bailey said most of the work done in 2004 was through face-to-face encounters at health units, clinics, county fairs and other events. He said that survey garnered 1,437 responses.
The collaborating partners on the 2018 survey are: Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese, Arkansas Department of Health, Benton County Health Unit, Carroll County Health Unit, Community Clinic Northwest Arkansas, Hark at the Center for Collaborative Care, Madison County Health Coalition, Madison County Health Unit, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Ozark Guidance Center, Washington County Health Unit, Washington Regional Medical Center and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Arkansas.
Lisa Low, medical director for community health with Mercy Hospital, said the survey aims to increase the information available to health care providers and to improve their services. She said the area has not had any long-term, collaborative efforts from the providers, and she hopes the survey could be the start of a more cooperative approach.
The survey asked respondents to identify the area’s three most important health problems from a list of 31 choices ranging from aging through tobacco use. The list includes alcohol abuse, cancer, child abuse and neglect, diabetes, drug use, gun-related injuries, lack of physical activity, mental health problems, obesity and overweight, poor nutrition, rape and sexual assault, school violence, sex/human trafficking, sexually transmitted disease/HIV/ AIDS, sleep difficulties and suicide.
The survey also asks people to identify “risky behaviors” that contribute to poor health in the community. One question seeks information on which health needs, if met, would have the most positive impact on the respondent and another asks how difficult it has been to get needed treatment. Other questions cover reasons for missing health care appointments, the availability of insurance and the source of health care services received. Questions also cover demographic information.
Jared Sparks, vice president of clinical services and compliance with Ozark Guidance Center, said having upto-date information is vital to the agencies working to meet the area’s health needs.
“We recognize there is a changing demographic here in Northwest Arkansas,” Sparks said. “It’s important to get a better sense of what they’re experiencing in terms of their needs and barriers to care.”