focus: community health assessment - … research consultants, inc., (prc) offers new possibilities...

a publication of the rapides foundation fall 2002@ &Health Well-Being

F O C U S : C O M M U N I T Y H E A L T H A S S E S S M E N T

w e l l n e s s . t o g e t h e r .

ow do you define health? That was the question facing The Rapides Foundationin the years immediately following its establishment in September of 1994.

With a century-old legacy of hospital ownership, the Foundation's overall mission wasto improve community health status. But how exactly and using what criteria?

"There was no basis for the Board and staff to weigh the relative importance of agrant in regards to what the benefits to the community would be," said Joe Rosier,President and CEO of The Rapides Foundation. So they approached Tulane UniversitySchool of Public Health and Tropical Medicine for help. "The Tulane Assessment cameabout out of a sense of wanting to be more strategic in our grantmaking."

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The Rapides Foundation

priorities. It also established a baseline of measuresof community health."

That baseline study has now beenreexamined in a second, recently completedcommunity assessment. According to Rosier, "Thepurpose of this updated assessment is to seewhere the community is today and detect anytrends in our priority areas; are they getting better,are they getting worse, or has some other issueemerged that would be a higher priority?"

This second assessment, conducted byProfessional Research Consultants, Inc., (PRC) offersnew possibilities for the Foundation and CentralLouisiana. "This time we'll have parish-specificdata that can be compared to other parishes inthe Foundation’s 11-parish service area, the stateand the nation. We'll also have a Web site availableto grant writers or any person or organizationworking to improve our community health,"Rosier proudly stated.

And "health" maintains its broad definition,changing only slightly in this assessment toreflect the federal guidelines known as "HealthyPeople 2010." The Foundation's "definingmoment" is improving the quality of life forCentral Louisiana.

Tulane spent months researching andcompiling a vast array of statistical informationon the Foundation's 11-parish service area.Healthcare, economic status, employment, youthrecreation; a whole spectrum of issues thatultimately impact individual and communityhealth were all scrutinized. Surveys, focus groupsand comparative studies using both state andnational data were all incorporated in a final five-volume community assessment.

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees waspresented the Tulane Assessment at a retreat in1998. "And so in one time and in one place ourBoard was able to see and understand a little bitbetter the significant issues facing the communityand could now begin to base their decisions onknowledge and factual information," explainedRosier.

A wide range of experts and resourceprofessionals were on hand to explain the findingsand how the different areas of study were linkedto community health. They also discussed wherethere were opportunities to intervene. Rosierremembers that retreat as "eye-opening,particularly some of the infant mortality andchildren in poverty information. And I know theTrustees were totally shocked by the Youth RiskBehavior Survey information that showedextremely high levels of early initiation of smokingand alcohol use by children. They knew kidssmoked, but the numbers were almostunbelievable to them."

As a result of the Tulane Community HealthAssessment, the Trustees were able to developthe Foundation’s current set of grantmakingInitiatives. And the word "health" took on a newmeaning. "Our Board adopted a much broaderdefinition of health that really does explore thedeterminants of health, which ultimately getsinto quality of life and social issues," said Rosier."The Tulane Assessment helped us understandthe magnitude of the issues we face and set our

(continued from page 1)Defininghealth

“Our Board adopted a muchbroader definition ofhealth that really doesexplore the determinantsof health, which ultimatelygets into quality of life andsocial issues.”Joe Rosier, Foundation President and CEO

3w e l l n e s s . t o g e t h e r .

Community Health Assessment

community health assessment can be abig plus when you're preparing a grant.

Just ask Sandy Ray, former Programs Coordinatorof The Health Enrichment Network in Allen Parish.

The Tulane data was at theheart of the grant proposal toinitiate a rural transportationp r o g r a m i n h e r p a r i s h ."Transportation is a barriereverywhere you go and the Tulanedata gave us insight into theproblem," she said.

Her organization received anational foundation grant, alongwith matching funds from The RapidesFoundation, and began implementing theprogram this past February. Now Ray says, "It'sone of the major programs of The HealthEnrichment Network and is really improvingpeople’s lives.”

The Tulane Assessment also proved valuable

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www.rapidesfoundation.org

Charles Johnson(THEN coordinator)and Dr. Tommy Davis(THEN BoardPresident) help leadan innovative effortto get rural residentsto the doctor. Theyare pictured withvolunteer driver, MaryAnne Cowgill, in theCherry Grove Baptistchurch van fromMittie, LA.

information in securing the grant that createdSAGE (Seniors Aging With Grace and Energy), anexercise and wellness program.

According to Daisy Dempsey, director of theCommunity Senior Citizens Multi-Purpose Resource Center, Inc.,sponsor of SAGE, their technicalassistant incorporated Tulane datainto her proposal. "She saidwellness was a good project forus to start out with. Specificallyexercise – something for theseniors. So she wrote the grant andwe implemented it. It's been a very

successful program."Now The Rapides Foundation has completed

its second community assessment. Once againthe detailed, updated information is ready andwaiting to support and enlighten the next grantwriter and organization hoping to offer a positiveplan to improve our community.

The Tulane Assessmentalso proved valuable

information in securingthe grant that created

SAGE (Seniors AgingWith Grace and Energy),

an exercise andwellness program.

n important tool in the developmentof a community health assessment isa resident survey. In many cases thesesurveys are conducted by telephone.

But reaching out to talk to someone can be adaunting task.

"I think the environment for research surveysis a tougher one now, than it was 10 years ago interms of getting good response rates," contendsDr. Judith Kasper, a professor at Johns HopkinsBloomberg School of Public Health and evaluatorfor The Rapides Foundation Access Barriers Survey."Surveyors are facing difficult times because thereare so many kinds of marketing survey projectsgoing on. People have answering machines so it'sharder to reach them directly, and when you doreach them, people are much more willing to hangup when a survey interviewer asks for a fewmoments of time."

There's also the problem of who answers thequestions. According to Dr. Kasper, "It is importantto try to find out whether you've got the best

respondent in terms of knowledge of the topicyou're asking about."

But despite these obstacles, Dr. Kasper believessurveys are essential in evaluating behavior andoverall health. "It's the kind of information youcan't get elsewhere. People's own opinion, andown assessment of their health – these kinds ofthings are best measured by talking to theindividuals affected."

Dr. Joe Inguanzo, President and CEO ofProfessional Research Consultants, Inc. (PRC), agreescompletely, "When you address the issue of aperson’s health and lifestyle, there's no other wayto get that information."

PRC has completed close to 5000 phonesurveys for The Rapides Foundation. Those findingsform a major component in the overall communityhealth assessment for the Foundation's 11-parishservice area. "We interviewed 400 individuals, 18years and older, within each of 10 parishes, plus750 more interviews in Rapides Parish," explainedDr. Inguanzo.

May we ask you some questions?

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And now thatinformation can beseen on the Internet."The Web site is reallyan excitingdevelopment overthe last couple ofyears," saysLockwood. "It givesus a place toelectronically sharedata from theassessment. Sosomeone in say AllenParish could log onand look atinformation for theirown parish, but alsoaccess some of the

information for larger areas and see how theycompare to those results."

While Inguanzo acknowledges the manybenefits of PRC's community "portrait," hebelieves The Rapides Foundation is really the onethat can most benefit the area. "The easy part isto do what we have done – compile data. Thetoughest part is to change people's behavior sothey're healthier. You have to keep working at it.It's a journey, not a destination."

rofessional Research Consultants, Inc. (PRC)has been evaluating healthcare trends

throughout the United States for over 20 years.Their community health assessments areintensive eight to nine-month research projectsthat systematically gather information and chartthe strengths andweaknesses of an areaand its people. It’s atremendous body ofwork.

"At the end of theprocess you've got apretty good picture ofa community,"explains Dr. JoeInguanzo, founder ofPRC. It's actually a veryrevealing picture thatcan be used in manyways.

"For example TheRapides Foundationcan use theirassessment as abenchmark tocompare over time and see if the money they'veinvested in grants is actually doing any good,"said Inguanzo. "It also helps them prioritize theirefforts."

Bruce Lockwood, director of the CommunityHealth Division of PRC says, "One of the greatbenefits of the community health assessmentsis that it provides information that really is notavailable in any other way, like parish-specificdata."

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“The toughest part is to changepeople's behavior so they're

healthier. You have to keep workingat it. It's a journey, not a destination.”

digitalData goes

Judith K. Leavitt, RN, MEd, FANN, an associateprofessor at the University of MississippiMedical Center School of Nursing, recountsher involvement as consultant to The RapidesFoundation. "After that healthcare study, theyasked me to help them find out more aboutwhat the needs were in the nursing workforce."

To do that, Phase One of the project waslaunched in April of this year. It consisted of

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urveys have proven invaluable to TheRapides Foundation, not only in the

Tulane and PRC community healthassessments, but also in their just completedstudy of the area's nursing situation.

The Foundation commissioned a study inJuly 2001 to look at the healthcare workforceneeds in Cenla. It was clear from that studythat the biggest need was in nursing.

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two elements: Direct interviews with nursingexecutives or nurse leaders of the majorhealthcare employers and educationalinstitutions, plus a telephone survey of 358 Cenlaregistered nurses.

"I don't know of any other state that has donea telephone survey. Most of the surveys havebeen written surveys through the Boards ofNursing," said Leavitt. "What the telephone surveyenabled us to get was a lot more in-depthinformation about the nursing workforce andchanges in the working situation."

As the results of the survey were compiledand analyzed, some surprises began to surface."It told us that the workforce in Cenla looksdifferent than in the rest of the state." For example,Louisiana is one of the few states where thereare more nurses with four-year bachelor degreesthan with two-year associate degrees. "In theCenla region it’s just the reverse, which is moretypical of what's happening in the rest of thecountry," Leavitt pointed out.

The findings on minorities in nursing alsoheld surprises. "We found out that the minorityrepresentation of nurses is much, much less inthe Cenla area than for the state as a whole. Soit certainly is not reflective of the population,"Leavitt remarked.

With Phase One now completed, its resultswere then used to plan Phase Two of the projectwhich began in October. "What we're looking atnow is trying to create some ways to enhancerecruitment into nursing," explained Leavitt. "Thefirst project is going to be an extensive publicrelations and outreach campaign to recruitpeople into nursing."

According to Leavitt, the focus of the entireinitiative is to plan well into the future. "Thesolutions are long-term. There are no easy fixes.That's what most groups are focused on.

Leavitt believes this project with The RapidesFoundation can really make a difference. "I don'tknow of another foundation that is making asmuch of a commitment to enhancing the nursingworkforce as Rapides. It’s really exciting, and tome, it’s quite unique and an incredibleopportunity."




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w w w . r a p i d e s f o u n d a t i o n . o r g

The Rapides Foundation is a

philanthropic organization that

provides grants to organizations

throughout an 11 parish service area

that share the Foundation’s mission to

improve the health and well-being of

Central Louisiana.

VERNON

ALLEN

RAPIDES

WINN

GRANT

NATCHITOCHES

CONCORDIA

CATAHOULA

EVANGELINE

LASALLE

AVOYELLES

8


Health Assessment Update

ne of the most frequent requests the

Foundation receives is for updated health

assessment information based upon the 1997

Tulane study. The update is complete and we hope

you will find the new version more comprehensive,

easier to read and use and accessible on-line.

OHealth assessment data for the 11 parishes isprinted in a comprehensive 300 page writtenreport along with individual parish by parishsummaries. The reports will be available fromthe Foundation at cost. Please contact AnnetteClark, Special Projects Associate, for more detailsat 318-443-3394 or toll free at 1-800-994-3394.Reports can be downloaded free from our Website at www.rapidesfoundation.org


Highlights2002

Assessment Reports Available

Significant numbers of Cenla residents report themselves to be in Fair or Poorhealth – at 1.5 to 2 times the Louisiana and national averages.

2Highlight



Some of the key findings from the assessment:

1Highlight

There are importantdifferences in thehealth status ofresidents whencomparing Cenlaparishes against eachother, as well as withindifferent populationgroups within parishes.These differences aremore pronouncedthen in the 1997 study.

17.4 - 20.4

20.4 - 23.2

23.2+

% Self-ReportedFair/Poor Health

Community Health Assessment2002Highlights


Natchitoches

Winn

VernonRapides

EvangelineAllen

Avoyelles

Grant

LaSalle

Concordia

Catahoula

FoundationService Area

10


3Highlight

Overweight and obesity continue to be conditions on the rise – negatively impactingour elevated rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among others.

4Highlight

Almost one-quarter of the region’sadults cannot consistently taketheir prescribed medicationbecause of low-incomes and risingcosts.

5Highlight

Area adults identifytobacco, drinking anddriving, alcohol and druguse and teen pregnancy asmajor problems impactingCenla’s adolescents.

Community Health Assessment2002Highlights

66.3%60% 56.9%

LA US

Overweight Prevalence

• 28.5% of adults in the Foundation’s 11-parish service areaare obese (Status is based on Body Mass Index, a ratio ofreported heights and weights; obesity is having a BMI of 30or higher)

• In all, 66.3% of service area adults are overweight

• 30.2% of adults report no leisure-time physical activity

Initiative/Response Grants• Arts and HumanitiesAlexandria Museum of Art $500,000 2 yearsSupport of intensive K-12 educational programs linking schools in 11 parishes with Heart of Spain exhibit

• HealthCare AccessAdministrators of Tulane Educational Fund 50,000 1 yearDevelopment of cancer control plan for Cenla

• Healthy Futures IAllen Parish School Board 600,000 3 yearsEstablishment of school-based health center at Oakdale High SchoolFood Bank of Central Louisiana 165,000 2 yearsEstablishment of Kids Café after-school programs at three Cenla sites

• Healthy SeniorsAlzheimers program set aside 200,000 2 yearsFunds assigned for establishment of programs for Alzheimers patient and caregiver treatmentand support programs

• Workforce DevelopmentNursing Workforce Organization 800,000 2 yearsEstablishment of independent employer-led nonprofit dedicated towards promotingnursing as a career, enhancing the quality of the nursing workforce and recruiting middle andhigh school students into nursing educational programs

Mini-Grants and Technical Assistance Grants (one year or less)Alexandria Metropolitan Foundation 10,000Funds for further exploration of intermodal transportation opportunities in CenlaEunice Alfred Ministries 7,500Organizational development and pilot program funds for Rapides Parish-based start-up groupdedicated to working with children of incarcerated parentsFamily Playhouse 10,000Funds to assess and standardize current math and science curriculum used by thisRapides Parish-based youth arts organization



The Rapides Foundation Grantsfrom July - September 2002

G r a n t U p d a t e :


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w e l l n e s s . t o g e t h e r .www.rapidesfoundation.org

Food Bank of Central Louisiana $10,000Programmatic development for Kids Café after-school programs4 Rivers Youth & Adult Community Association 10,000Organizational development funds for this Jonesville-based community group involved inafter school tutoring and LEAP test preparationJoy Dara Ministries 10,000Organizational development and programmatic development of youth risk-reduction programsRapides Parish Fire Protection District #8 (Cotile VFD) 5,000Matching funds for purchase of medically oriented equipment and training materials tobe used in collaboration with adjoining departmentsSpecial Olympics 10,000Identification and assessment of prospective program participants in Cenla

Announcement ofCommunity Based and Rural Health Grant ProgramThe state Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Primary Care and Rural Health announces theavailability of grant funds for Louisiana’s rural parishes and health professional shortage areas (HPSAs)through the Community Based and Rural Health Grant Program. This funding is being made availablefor capital improvement projects and/or developmental projects for primary and preventive health careservice expansion projects. Grant awards will not exceed $50,000. Eligible applicants include public ornonprofit healthcare provider organizations located in rural and/or federally designated HPSAs.

For more information contact Rural Health Officer Beth Millet at (225)342-1889 or [email protected].

is published by The Rapides Foundation

The Rapides Foundation continuesa legacy of community healthcare

initiated in 1903.

President/CEO:Joseph R. Rosier, Jr., CPA, CFA

Editors:Vicki Bernard

Annette Clark, MBA

Contributing Writer:Ann L’Heureux

For additional copies or to be addedto the mailing list contact:

The Rapides FoundationP.O. Box 11937

Alexandria, LA 71315-1937

Tel: 318-443-3394Fax: 318-443-8312

Toll Free: 1-800-994-3394

Internet: www.rapidesfoundation.orge-mail: [email protected]

&&Health Well-BeingPRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDALEXANDRIA, LAPERMIT NO. 65

G r a n t U p d a t e : (continued from page 11)

focus: community health assessment - … research consultants, inc., (prc) offers new possibilities...

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