What is the Community Health Needs Assessment?

Olathe Health is a committed partner to the overall health of the communities we serve. We work closely with the local schools, nonprofit organizations, county, local and federal government agencies, religious-based groups, health insurers and businesses who all play an integral role in meeting the healthcare needs of the residents of our service area.

In an effort to improve the health of communities, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulated that nonprofit hospitals nationwide, including Olathe Medical Center (OMC) and Miami County Medical Center (MCMC), conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years. Hospitals would then be required to develop and execute an implementation plan to meet the needs identified in this assessment. OMC and MCMC, with the help of VVV Research and Development, conducted this assessment for our primary service areas, and the findings of that assessment are outlined below.

CHNA Process

The first step in performing this assessment was to determine the current health status of the community. This was done by researching and collecting data from many sources such as the census, county health records and behavioral risk factors surveillance. This data was used to uncover public health needs and resources for the service areas.

The next step was to get input from the community. This was done in two ways.

1. First, a CHNA survey was sent to residents in the service areas. The survey provided residents the opportunity to share their views on a range of healthcare topics and identify the biggest healthcare needs in their community.
2. Second, 90-minute town hall meetings were held in the primary service areas. At each town hall meeting, residents (including community leaders, representatives from local government, schools, service organizations and health providers) were presented the data on the current health status of their community, engaged in facilitated group discussions and were asked to determine which health priorities were the most important for them.

CHNA Results

The research, survey and town hall meetings helped develop a clearer picture of our service areas and the health priorities of residents. Below is a summary of the major strengths and health need priorities in the primary service area of OMC and MCMC. For the full report, including the results of the research and data collecting, click on the links in the top right section of this page.