Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years to identify the health and health care needs of residents in Lancaster County. The CHNA identifies opportunities to better address community needs and guides our approach to improving health for all.
The assessment also provides a meaningful way to engage the community in our strategic community-benefit planning process. The goals of the assessment are to identify and evaluate the health-related needs of our community so that LG Health can continue to provide optimal care for our patients and community.
LG Health used the CHNA’s findings to develop a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to address unmet needs by utilizing the strengths of LG Health and its community partners, while aligning with our mission to advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
Making the Greatest Difference for the People at Greatest Risk
While access to affordable, high-quality medical care is important to achieving and maintain good health, staying well is about much more. LG Health recognizes that health starts in our homes, schools, and neighborhoods. The nonmedical factors that affect health, which range from affordable housing to accessible transportation, are known as “social determinants of health.”
As part of our deeply rooted commitment to our community, we have a responsibility to help establish and maintain the basic conditions that give everyone the opportunity to achieve their best health.
This work is not new for LG Health.
LG Health already leads and supports many community programs that address needs throughout the region. Our commitment to improving community health recently was recognized with the Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service.
Now, LG Health places an even greater emphasis on social determinants of health. Below we have outlined the areas the health system will focus on over the next three years to address the root causes of health concerns and to invest our resources in areas of the greatest potential impact.
Access to Care
- Increase access to free and low-cost healthcare services through school-based health clinics, prenatal care, cancer-screenings and vaccination programs
- Increase access to treatment services for substance use and mental health
Mental Health Efforts
- With the support and expertise of community organizations, LG Health will become trauma-informed health system and train individuals and organizations about recognizing and responding to trauma and adverse childhood experiences
Food Insecurity
- Increase access to healthy food for people who are food insecure through free food pantries, the Food Farmacy and healthy corner stores.
Healthy Environment
- Create a safe environment for walking and bicycling in Lancaster County and
- Increase the number of LG Health employees using environmentally-friendly transportation
- Develop additional assessments and plans to support a healthy physical environment
Next Steps
The LG Health CHIP will continue to be developed and rolled out over the next three years, from FY2020 through the end of FY2022. LG Health team members from across the organization will:
- Develop strategies and timelines to meet our objectives
- Monitor and measure outcomes
- Report on progress and results annually to the community