Current and Planned Initiatives to Meet Hospital Service Area Needs:

Primary Care Network

Porter Hospital continues to take a leadership role in identifying and recruiting necessary new providers to meet the medical needs of our community. During the past year, Porter Hospital has successfully attracted eight new physicians or mid-level providers to serve our patients. We are currently exploring the relocation and expansion of our primary care capacity in Bristol, Vermont, which has been designated as a “Medically Underserved” region and we continue to identify opportunities to facilitate timely access to primary care throughout our community.

Vermont Blueprint for Health

Porter Hospital has been working with both Porter owned practices and independent local practices to implement the “Blueprint for Health” initiatives here in Addison County. We anticipate that all of our Addison County primary care practices will be certified as a “Medical Home” under the Blueprint by the end of this year. We also have established our Community Health Team and have placed CHT members in many of our practices as part of our Blueprint activities.

Technology and EHR

Porter is participating in the VITL initiative and in the midst of installing our new electronic health record technology into our hospital and physician practices in concert with other Vermont hospitals. This is the largest and most complex project undertaken by Porter Hospital in years, and will result in improved communication and coordination of services for our patients.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT (Based on Current Assessment: New Needs Assessment Currently under development)

Resource Priorities

"Priorities" identified by our Community Advisory Committee, within each of the sections set forth by the State of Vermont for this report, are defined in three (3) categories:

#1 Priorities - "short term/immediate priorities" which are either currently being pursued and/or where there are no significant barriers or financial considerations

#2 Priorities - priorities that are deemed important, but which require more study and/or resources that are not yet identified or available

#3 Priorities - priorities that are deemed important, but will require the
involvement of organizations/government entities outside the control of our community and/or require significant financial resources that are not available within our region

Following each of these priorities, we also have indicated whether it is a "Community Health Improvement Priority" (CHIP) or a "Health Care Resource Priority" (HCRP) per the guidelines for these Community Health Needs Assessment reports.

OVERALL MEASURES

Cancer

#1 Priority

• Continue and support Porter Hospital "Breast Health Resource Services" and the "Breast Cancer Screening and Education Project" (HCRP)
• Continue cancer prevention, detection, treatment and support programs now available through local healthcare providers (HCRP)
  

Maternal and Child Health

#1 Priority

• Continue existing prenatal and postpartum exercise and educational programs (HCRP)
  
• Increase support for prenatal care services for all women (HCRP)
  Promote awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy (CHIP)
  

#2 Priority

• Support existing midwifery services and explore ways to better coordinate midwife care/services currently provided to area women (HCRP)
  
  Increase the availability of mental healthcare services for children and postpartum women (HCRP)
  
• Advocate for more children services and early childcare support (CHIP)
  
• Increase the availability of routing and specialized dental care for children (CHIP)
  

Mental Health and Substance Abuse

#1 Priority

• Support community efforts and programs to address substance abuse issues within the school setting and community (CHIP)
  

#2 Priority

• Increase the capacity for adult and adolescent mental health and substance abuse services resulting from improved reimbursement in general for mental healthcare services-especially for uninsured patients. (CHIP)
  
• Increase treatment options for women with substance abuse issues (HCRP)
  
• Improve access to medical and mental healthcare services for developmentally disabled patients (CHIP)
  
• Increase the capacity for intensive home and community based child and family services (CHIP)
  

Chronic Disease

#2 Priority

• Improve coordination among healthcare providers in managing patients with chronic disease(s), through increased capacity and better integration of services, as well as better community planning for the provision of chronic disease services (CHIP)
  

#3 Priority

• Advocate for a better system to qualify disabled individuals for services (CHIP)
  

Prevention

#1 Priority

• Outreach to out-of-school youth through peer counseling programs. (CHIP)
  
• Increased use of smoke, carbon monoxide and radon detectors in homes. (CHIP)
  
• Increase in the percentage of children who receive well childcare throughout their school years. (CHIP)
  
• Decrease in exposure to environmentaltobacco smoke. (CHIP)
  
• Maintaining preventive and educational services we currently offer throughout the community. (CHIP)
  

#2 Priority

• Assure early detection and screening programs that are available and accessible to all populations. (CHIP)
  

#3 Priority

• Expand adult immunization program.(HCRP)
  
• Advocate for safe and affordable housing in Addison County. (HCRP)
  
• Advocate for more affordable high quality childcare.

Access

#1 Priority

• Support the work of Community Health Services of Addison County to facilitate access to medical care for the uninsured/underinsured, including a third clinic on Saturday mornings in Middlebury (CHIP)
  
• Continue operation of Helen Porter Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center as a resource for institutional long-term care in our community, as well as shortterm rehabilitation, respite and hospice services (HCRP)
  
• Support ESI and increase capacity for elderly daycare, family respite care and eldercare counseling (CHIP)
  
• Recruit geriatric trained physicians (HCRP)
  

#2 Priority

• Increase access to preventive healthcare services for children and adults (CHIP)
  
• Support CSAC and improved access to mental healthcare services for all, especially for Medicaid and uninsured individuals (CHIP)
  
• Increase education and support Complementary/Alternative Medicine options, in collaboration with other providers at the local and statewide level (HCRP)
  

#3 Priority

Explore ways to improve transportation to medical care and other vital services for people with chronic illness, including dialysis services (CHIP)

Ensure continued access to home healthcare services regardless of patient's location, clinical condition or ability to pay (CHIP)

Lifestyles and Behavior

#1 Priority

• Support community efforts and programs to address smoking issues within the school setting and community (CHIP)
  
• Place increased emphasis on nutrition education and physical activity within our community and school system, and promote healthy food/beverage choices in general and, specifically, within our school meal programs and vending machines (CHIP)
  
• Increase exercise opportunities for area youth (HCRP)
  

#2 Priority

• Increase opportunities for youth activities in a constructive/supervised environment (teen centers) (HCRP)
  

Injury and Violence

#1 Priority

• Support schools in addressing violence/bullying issues (CHIP) #2 Priority
  
• Increase counseling/mental health services for victims of abuse/sexual assault (HCRP)

#3 Priority

• Recruit women dentists to serve victims of abuse/sexual assault (HCRP)
  

Community Input

Representatives from Porter Hospital have conducted several dozen interviews during 2012 in an effort to collect information to update our Community Health Needs Assessment as prescribed by the “Affordable Care Act”. We will complete the initial draft of this report by September of 2012.

PLAN TO UPDATE THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Porter Hospital plans to update the Community Health Needs Assessment every three years as outlined by the Affordable Care Act through:

• Ongoing meetings with our "Community Health Needs Assessment Advisory Committee"
  
• Participation in other local organizations to update the Community Health Needs Assessment
  
• Continued posting of the community survey on our web site (portermedical.org)
  

For more information about this Needs Assessment, or to obtain a copy of the 2004 report, please call the Porter Hospital Public Relations office at 388-4744 or click here.

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