Billings' hospitals and community health center are conducting another survey assessing the health needs of residents within Yellowstone County, a practice that happens every three years.
The Alliance, which is comprised of St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings Clinic, RiverStone Health and the Healthy by Design Community Coalition will be managing the survey, and the coalition will contact residents countywide to identify major community health challenges, gaps in services and other factors that contribute to health issues in various communities.
About 400 completed surveys will be needed to respond to the most common health issues or obstacles. The survey will have new questions pertaining to social connectedness and sense of community, said Melissa Henderson, community health improvement manager for the Alliance.
“This is a way for us to reach out to our community members directly and say, ‘are you eating enough fruits and vegetables, and if not, why not?’” Henderson said. “Are you physically active, and if not, what’s getting in the way of that? New this year, we’re adding questions about social connectedness and sense of community, because we’re learning that plays a really big role in our community’s health.”
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The goal, she said, is to find out what the collective needs are in the county, and address the ones that many people are facing.
United Way of Yellowstone County started the Yellowstone Substance Abuse Connect Coalition last year partly due to the survey’s findings pertaining to substance abuse.
Kristin Lundgren, director of impact for United Way, said that she appreciates Billings hospitals working together to fund a survey that provides local statistics that demonstrate a community need.
“We see (substance abuse) pop up anecdotally in our work, and the assessment shows we need to work on this,” Lundgren said.
The coalition has about 158 members, including law enforcement, Billings school districts, city and county leaders, and others. A plan that illustrates three key areas that need improvement within the community will be completed by December, Lundgren said. That may involve, for example, training teachers in schools to recognize substance abuse and help connect students to resources.
According to the executive summary of 2016-2017 Community Health Needs Assessment Survey, or CHNA, 45% of participants in the survey report they have been personally negatively impacted by substance abuse, whether their own abuse or that of another.
Lundgren said the data found in the survey has been included in grant applications to programs like the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
While the survey isn’t the only reason for starting the coalition, the data has helped confirm the need for the coalition.
“People are interested and passionate and want to be involved in solutions,” Lundgren said.
Licensed Billings nutritionist Ginny Mermel started backpack meal programs and food pantry programs with the Montana Food Bank Network in the Billings School District 10 years ago, and feeds an average of 300 students every year.
The survey’s data provides backing in grant applications and shows the continued need for these programs. According to the 2016-2017 CHNA, about 16.9% of Yellowstone County adults “often” or “sometimes” worried about whether their food would run out before they had money to buy more. Overall, 16.9% of community residents are determined to be “‘food insecure,’ having run out of food in the past year and/or been worried about running out of food.”
“I do use the report to help back up claims and requests in grants,” Mermel said. “I use it when I teach, I use it when I talk to city groups and the like who may want a better understanding of the hunger situation in our community.”
During the past few years, the backpack program received a grant from the Ford Foundation that donated 1,800 meal kits and 500 jars of peanut butter.
The backpacks contain meals for breakfast, lunch and snacks during weekends.
“We used the CHNA to explain and give a picture of what it means when a child is not getting enough food,” she said. “We paint the picture.”
Mermel said that school districts can compare CHNA data to food insecurity data, like the percent of kids who receive free and reduced lunches. Other information can also encourage the Montana Food Bank Network to improve nutritional content of backpack meals.
“Billings was the first large backpack meals program in the state, but now there are over 100 in 54 communities,” Mermel said.
After the survey is completed in November or December, a public forum will be held to prioritize issues in Yellowstone County.
The data collection will be conducted over phone calls, email and a new phone-based photo survey, where residents can take a photo of items that would enhance their neighborhood, like a community garden or park areas.