Monterey County hospitals and county entities partner on countywide health assessment and plan

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

(MONTEREY COUNTY, CALIF.) — Six organizations are teaming up to address the major health needs of residents of the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley regions. The newly formed Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative is a partnership between Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Salinas Valley Health, Mee Memorial Healthcare System, Natividad, the Monterey County Health Department, and United Way Monterey County. The Collaborative was formed to more effectively identify, address, and improve the health and well-being of the local community.

This same group of organizations have worked closely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by providing coordinated education, resources, vaccinations, testing, and more for Monterey County residents. It was a natural next step to continue these alliances to better coordinate resources and efforts moving forward for the greater good of the community. Nonprofit hospitals must complete a community health needs assessment every three years, and health departments are required to do a health assessment every five years. Typically, organizations do the assessment and address issues independently. Through the Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative, the hospitals, in partnership with the Monterey County Health Department and United Way Monterey County, are working with a professional survey firm and the California Hospital Association to conduct public surveys to yield anonymous and confidential health, social and economic data. The information along with other fact based input will allow the organizations to prioritize and address the most pressing health needs.

“The hospitals in Monterey County are known to address the most urgent healthcare needs of our communities,” says Dr. Steven Packer, president/CEO, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. “And, that commitment goes beyond traditional hospital care to identifying preventive and clinical services to those who need it the most, including better access to care and services where it can make a real impact.”

Professional Research Consultants (PRC), a public opinion research consultant, is conducting bilingual phone and online surveys for Monterey County residents. Your trusted local healthcare providers are urging community members to participate in the confidential 10-minute online survey at www.healthymontereycounty.org.

“The public can play a critical role in helping shape future health and wellness services,” says Pete Delgado, Salinas Valley Health President/CEO. “Survey responses provide a blueprint aimed at closing the gap of healthcare inequities. We want everyone to have access to the services they need and deserve.”

With the information from these surveys, combined with other public health data, the Collaborative will work to identify trends and develop ways to address the largest local health and social needs. Once this publicly reported assessment is complete, community organizations may use it for everything from planning to grant reporting for health outcomes. The Community Health Needs Collaborative partners will be able to work from the same data set and with the same assessment tools to identify trends and major health issues. Other county organizations and partners can then also work individually and collectively to create or enhance programs to respond to community health needs.

“The more we know about the unmet healthcare needs of our communities, the more hospitals, public health officials, and local organizations can do to make the Monterey region a better place to live for everyone,” says Jo Coffaro, Regional Vice President of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California. “The community health needs assessment is a vital tool for identifying Monterey County’s top health concerns, and our collaborative partnership will result in a comprehensive and coordinated effort to improve the health and well-being of our region.”

Past efforts from community health needs assessments have steered funding, resources, and programs to improve access to healthcare and provide more programs to address treatable health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

“Monterey County Health Department is excited about how this collaborative assessment process has provided another way for all of us to work together to address identified health needs in our communities,” says Elsa Jimenez, Director of Health Services for Monterey County. “By working together we will make Monterey County an even healthier place to live, work and play.”

How can residents participate?

Community members can participate by filling out online survey which is highly confidential and anonymous. The to access the survey and to get more information about the Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative, visit www.healthymontereycounty.org.

Editor note: Collaborative logo attached, English/Spanish PSA’s, and photo of Monica Tovar, bilingual resident, mother and local business owner taking the Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative survey

Spanish language release sent to Spanish language media outlets and upon request

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ABOUT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL OF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, established in 1934, has grown and evolved in direct response to the changing healthcare needs of the people it serves. Its parent company is Montage Health, the umbrella for entities that work together to deliver exceptional care and inspire the pursuit of optimal health. Community Hospital is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 204 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through locations including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility (Westland House), Hospice of the Central Coast, Montage Wellness Centers, and business offices. Find more information about Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at chomp.org

ABOUT SALINAS VALLEY MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Salinas Valley Health (Salinas Valley Health) is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the region through an integrated network of health care initiatives, services and facilities. In addition to an acute care, public district hospital licensed for 263 beds, the system includes Salinas Valley Health Clinics, a multi-location clinic expanding access to primary and specialty care, and offers 13 urgent care locations. Salinas Valley Health is one of the area’s largest employers with a staff of more than 2000, and is a leader in providing nationally recognized quality care. Collaboration is an important operating principle for Salinas Valley Health in such key areas as our Level III NICU which is operated in a joint venture with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford; The Madison Clinic for Pediatric Diabetes, partnership with UCSF; Aspire Health Plan, Monterey County’s only Medicare Advantage program; Community Health Innovations and Blue Zones Project Monterey County, building a community where people live longer and live heathier. For more information, visit www.svmh.com.

ABOUT NATIVIDAD

Natividad is hospital and trauma center providing compassionate high-quality health care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Located in Salinas, Calif., Natividad is a public health care system offering a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care for adults and children. Founded in 1886, the 172-bed medical center has more than 10,000 admissions and 42,000 emergency visits annually. Home to the area's only Level II Trauma Center, the hospital's specialized personnel, equipment and services provide a vital local community service that saves lives and keeps patients close to home. Natividad's Baby-Friendly® facility delivers 2,200 babies every year and is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. It also operates an accredited Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, giving the tiniest and most fragile babies — some as small as one pound — the best chance for a healthy start. Through its UCSF-affiliated Natividad Family Medicine Residency, Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast. For more information, please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.

ABOUT MEE MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

At Mee Memorial, our highest priority is to serve the healthcare needs of our community. This includes offering an extensive array of services with a commitment to the highest possible standards, the best available technology, and the care of skilled healthcare professionals.

The Mee network includes a hospital in King City including emergency services, 25 acute care beds and 48 skilled nursing beds, and three comprehensive outpatient clinics; two adjacent to the hospital (Adult Medicine and the King City Clinic, for Internal, Pain and Family Medicine) and the Albert and Donna Oliveira Clinic, a full-service, primary care facility in the city of Greenfield. MMHS is the primary healthcare organization serving the rural communities of Southern Monterey County. Overall, our healthcare professionals serve a population of nearly 70,000 within an area spanning over 55 miles between the agricultural communities of Soledad to Bradley. For more information, visit www.meememorial.com.

ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The Monterey County Health Department exists to enhance, protect, and improve the health of the people in Monterey County. To accomplish this, the Department provides a wide variety of health-related services in the areas of public health, environmental health, behavioral health, and clinic services. Monterey County Health Department is an accredited health department and has undergone a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures. For more information on programs and initiatives visit www.mtyhd.org