The old adage, “There’s nothing like a good neighbor” is certainly true when it comes to Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). HSS, working from its Outpatient Center in Stamford, Connecticut, is increasing outreach and educational programs. As indicated in the November 1, 2016 news release “the hospital recently conducted a survey to assess the muscle, bone and joint health needs of people living in lower Fairfield and Upper Westchester Counties. Efforts were made to ensure input from residents in all socioeconomic groups, including underserved communities.”
A total of 357 people responded to the survey; osteoarthritis was the most commonly diagnosed musculoskeletal condition. Among those with arthritis, other chronic conditions reported included high cholesterol (48%); high blood pressure (42%); and being overweight (37%).
Asked about the history of this project, Pamela Villagomez, M.P.A., manager, Stamford Education Initiative at HSS, told OTW, “When HSS embarked on opening a new, 18, 000 square foot facility in Stamford, Connecticut, it was a natural step to include education programming in the plan. To that end, the HSS Stamford Outpatient Center Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) was developed in concert with the February 2015 grand opening of the HSS Stamford Outpatient Center. In an effort to enhance our understanding of the surrounding communities and to develop effective health education and outreach programs, the CHNA survey was designed to provide insight to our community’s: (1) health status and quality of life, (2) health behaviors & lifestyle, (3) engagement in health education, (3) use of and access to care and (4) socio-demographic characteristics.”
Villagomez noted, “Our survey sample was slightly over 37, 000 members of the Lower Fairfield County, approximately 10% of the Total Population (per American Community Survey, 2009-2013). The survey was administered in different ways in an effort to achieve a good response rate. While our CHNA survey was successful in providing us with valuable information on the health status, healthy lifestyle and interest in health education of our surrounding communities, the response rate yielded results that were limited in providing a more thorough picture of both our underserved populations and of the younger age group that is more predominant in the area. Subsequent to the survey implementation, we took measures to fill in this gap by holding focus groups in the underserved populations to understand their musculoskeletal health needs and identify gaps and health disparities that exist.”
Asked what advice she might you have for other hospitals that wish to implement such a project, Titilayo Ologhobo, M.P.H., associate director of Outcomes in the Public & Patient Education Department at HSS, commented to OTW, “Being new to the community, building trust and establishing partnerships with community members and community-based organizations (CBOs) were critical in learning more about our community prior to the survey implementation and in developing collaborative opportunities during the survey implementation and afterwards with program development and rollout. Community involvement provided invaluable information that helped guide community education, outreach and support initiatives. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that conducting the survey is a process and it takes time to plan, pilot, implement and then analyze the data. Organizations should develop detailed timelines for each step. For the HSS Stamford Outpatient Center CHNA, the process took approximately one year.”
