By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Every three years, the Madison County Department of Health partners with Oneida Healthcare and Community Memorial Hospital to identify and address local health priorities.
During the Community Health Assessment, the health department compiles information from other health organizations, its community partners and members of the public.
This year, the health department will hold small group discussions in eight locations across the county.
The Madison County Community Health Meetings will be held in Cazenovia, Brookfield, Canastota, Chittenango, DeRuyter, Hamilton, Morrisville and Oneida.
County residents are encouraged to attend whichever meeting is most convenient for them and pre-registration is encouraged, but not required.
The Cazenovia session will be held on Aug. 29 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Cazenovia Public Library Community Room.
Katie Mungari, director of community health services for the Madison County Department of Health, and Chrystal Johnson, a community health educator for the department, will lead the discussion.
“Participants will be asked a series of questions designed to facilitate a conversation about the community [so we can] get a good picture of what the overall health of our community looks like to Madison County residents,” Mungari said.
The input gathered during the sessions will be used to produce a community health improvement plan, which will help the health department and hospitals to set priorities and develop strategies to improve the overall health of Madison County over the next few years.
Prior to setting its priorities, the health department will work with Oneida Healthcare and Community Memorial Hospital to review the input gathered from all of the assessments conducted throughout the year.
So far, the department has collected feedback from community agencies, healthcare providers, elected officials, and a number of Madison County residents who completed phone surveys.
“We recognize that there are a number of health issues that face rural communities all over the country . . . [such as] substance abuse, mental health, oral health, cancer, access to health care, and infectious disease,” Mungari said. “We [also] know that Madison County is unique and we don’t want a one size fits all approach. We are interested in what our community members identify as a concern for them here in Madison County.”
According to Eric Faisst, director of public health for the Madison County Department of Health, some of the county’s most successful health efforts grew out of past community health improvement plans.
For example, the 2009 plan — which identified the need to bridge the gap between clinic health management and community agencies — led to the creation of the Madison County Rural Health Council (MCRHC).
Madison County Rural Health Council, Inc. was established by a consortium of organizations representing the largest providers of health and social services in the county.
“Through the rural health council, local providers are better able to coordinate the county-wide alignment of health care resources, expertise and services, and evidence based practices to meet health needs in our communities,” Faisst said.
The 2016 Plan was also particularly impactful, according to Faisst.
The plan identified colorectal cancer screening as a health priority. After recognizing this need in the community, the county increased the overall colorectal screening rate by over 10 percent, placing the county in the top percentile for New York State overall.
To learn more about the Community Health Assessment or to register for a Community Health Meeting, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov or call 315-366-2361.
