In order to meet the needs of the community the first step is to hear from the community

In 2019, the process included a collaborative effort to complete the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) which is done every three years. The CHNA was a joint effort with multiple partners including the community, hospitals, academia, health departments, social service agencies, Health Improvement Partnership - Cuyahoga and The Center for Health Affairs. The assessment fulfills the requirements of both public health and hospitals to evaluate community health needs on a regular basis. Because their defined service area is shared, they are permitted to collaborate on a single assessment, which is both a more efficient use of resources than conducting individual assessments and, more importantly, it allows for a more integrated approach to addressing the identified needs. 

The CHNA gathered input from community resident surveys, stakeholder interviews, community meetings, Cuyahoga County and hospital data. 

The CHNA process identified five priority areas that will be the basis for the implementation plan:

• Eliminating structural racism*
• Enhancing trust and trustworthiness across sectors, people, communities*
• Addressing community conditions, such as reducing poverty and its effects
• Enhancing mental health and reducing substance abuse
• Reducing chronic illness and its effects

*Long-term, cross-cutting strategies that will be integrated into each of the other priority areas

These areas were chosen through an inclusive prioritization process. St. Vincent Charity will be working in partnership with many organizations to direct resources and expertise toward initiatives that can reach those in most need to improve their quality of life.

If you would like to submit written comments, questions or other concerns about Community Benefit please send them to Leslie.Andrews@stvincentcharity.com. These comments provide additional information regarding the interests of the community and help to inform future strategies.

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center's 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment was approved by the Board of Directors October 2, 2019.

The top health needs in the 2019 CHNA were identified through input from community voice, community stakeholders, hospitals and public health. This input, along with primary and secondary data, gave a complete picture of the health of Cuyahoga County residents. Since health encompasses not only physical wellbeing, social determinants including safety, housing, education, employment, insurance, food insecurity, etc. were also assessed. A prioritization process including hospitals, the CHNA Steering Committee, and community health workers determined the top health priorities through weighted voting. The following health priorities were chosen:

• Chronic Disease
• Community Conditions
• Mental Health and Addiction
• Eliminating Structural Racism*
• Enhancing Trust and Trustworthiness across Sectors, People, Communities*

*These are long-term, cross-cutting strategies that will be integrated into each of the other priority areas identified. An intentional plan to address these fundamental contributors to the health of both individuals and populations within Cuyahoga County will be created.

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center's 2020-2022 Community Health Needs Implementation Plan was approved by the Board of Directors on April 1, 2020. 

It is available here for public review. 

Based on the data in the 2016 CHNA, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center’s Community Benefit Planning Committee has begun work on a three-year Implementation Plan focused on three priority areas:

• Access to mental health and addiction services
• Obesity and food insecurity (a collaboration with all of the region’s hospitals)
• Quality of care (focusing on culturally appropriate care, health literacy and access)

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center's 2017-2019 Community Health Needs Implementation Plan was approved by the Board of Directors on April 7, 2017. 

It is available here for public review. 

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center's 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment is available here for public review.

And, the following is the 2013-2016 Implementation Plan.