Hillsboro County
Community Health Needs Assessment Case 1 – Assignment
Assignment Overview:
You are to complete a community health needs assessment (CHNA) for Hillsboro County utilizing the information contained in Case 1 of the Middleboro CASEBOOK. A CHNA answers the question: What are the primary healthcare needs and issues facing this county?
You are encouraged to seek outside data to benchmark local data to state and national data/trends. For purposes of benchmarks, assume that Hillsboro County is located in Pennsylvania. Selected Excel tables of data from the case are provide in Moodle.
Your submission is limited to 5 single-spaced pages following APA format. Utilize appendices for tables and charts (not included in page count).

Every year new case material is introduced and numbers and other information are changed. You are expected to produce independent work. Evidence that work has not been produced independently, as determined by the instructor and subject to the policies governing plagiarism established by the college, will be grounds for failure of the course and potential dismissal from the program.
The following questions will guide the development of your CHNA:
Demographic and Population Analysis
We need an analysis of the population changes and characteristics in Hillsboro County. Please address each of the following questions and provide appropriate quantitative justification to support your conclusions and recommendations:
Over the past five and ten years, which of the communities located in Hillsboro County have grown faster than the overall rate of population increase in Hillsboro County? Over the last five and ten years, which of the communities in Hillsboro County have grown slower than the overall rate of population growth in Hillsboro County? What should we expect the population to be as of CY+5 for all towns located in Hillsboro County? To what degree does the age profile of Hillsboro County resemble the overall age profile demographic of the United States? Which towns in the county are the “oldest” and the “youngest?” Assess the implications of your findings related to the delivery of health services in the county.
Nursing Home Need Study
National statistics indicate that approximately 3.9 percent of the population 65 or older is in nursing homes. Historically, nursing homes in Hillsboro County have an averageoccupancy of 94 percent. Does Hillsboro County currently have a sufficient number of nursing home beds? Are additional nursing home beds needed as of today and/or by 2020? If yes, indicate where in Hillsboro County you recommend any additional nursing home beds be located.
Health Priorities
In order to assess and improve health services in Hillsboro County we need a comprehensive understanding of population characteristics and anticipated changes. For example, the need and demand for health and medical care are both critically linked to demographic characteristics. Based on your answers to Question 1, indicate your five most significant assessments involving Hillsboro County and its communities. For each critical assessment, indicate your rationale and assess its significance on the health and healthcare services in Hillsboro County.
Hospital Comparison
We need an analysis of hospital utilization, cost, and quality in Hillsboro County. Consider average length of stay (ALOS), hospital admissions and patient days per 1,000 population, and other appropriate statistics. Answer the following questions and provide appropriate quantitative justification to support your conclusions and recommendations:
Indicate significant conclusions concerning 2014 countywide and town-specific hospital utilization statistics. Are local hospital utilization statistics in keeping with national rates and statistics? What should be the number of 2014 and 2019 hospital discharges and patient days generated by the population in Hillsboro County? For 2019 include your demographic forecast. This question will require you to estimate national hospital utilization statistics (e.g. ALOS, patient days per 1,000, etc.) for 2019. Based on your 2019 estimate and previous estimate of 2019 population, indicate the anticipated number of inpatient patient days and occupancy for Middleboro Community and Webster Hospital. Assess the significance of your findings on the health and healthcare services in Hillsboro County.
Physician Type Analyses
We need a comprehensive understanding of the number and type of physicians in Hillsboro County. Address each of the following questions and provide appropriate quantitative justification to support your conclusions and recommendations. Based on available national statistics (e.g., physician population ratios), does Hillsboro County have an excess or shortage of physicians? Excluding hospital-based specialties (e.g., pathologists), what medical specialties (e.g., general internal medicine) are in excess of national standards? Asof 2014, how many additional physicians are needed in what specific medical specialties? Assess the significance of your findings on the health and healthcare services in Hillsboro County.
Health Needs Study
We need an analysis of the health needs in Hillsboro County. Please address each of the following questions and provide appropriate quantitative justification to support your conclusions and recommendations:
Assess Hillsboro County’s mortality statistics (Tables 1.17 and 1.18). Is Hillsboro County experiencing “excess” mortality associated with specific causes of death? Are Hillsboro County’s causes of death in accordance with or significantly different than disease-specific national rates and specific trends? Compare the health insurance coverage in Hillsboro County with national statistics. Is Hillsboro County similar or different than the overall United States? Assess the significance of your findings on the health and healthcare services in Hillsboro County.
Vital Statistics Analysis
Assess Hillsboro County’s vital statistics (Table 1.16). Indicate whether the rates experienced in Hillsboro County are in accordance with national rates and trends. Assess the significance of your findings on the health and healthcare services in Hillsboro County.
County-Wide Disaster Planning
As you are aware, under a new federal and state program administered by the office of the governor, every county has the opportunity to apply for a planning grant (potentially), followed by implementation funding to better prepare for large-scale disasters. Each municipality in our county and all licensed health facilities and schools has existing disaster plans. Some of our larger employers also report have such plans. An analysis two years ago indicated that the number of first responders (police, fire, and EMT) in Hillsboro County per 1,000 residents is within 5 percent of national averages for a rural area. As such, we believe that we have sufficient infrastructure to address accidents and related issues.
For the grant we need to propose six to ten actions that could significantly enhance our area’s ability to address large-scale weather disasters and/or other types of large-scale disasters that would involve a significant area response. Provide your list of six to ten actions with rationale.