Title
A RESOLUTION supporting ongoing collaboration to assess the health needs and assets of King County communities and the development of strategies to improve community health.
Body
WHEREAS, King County is home to many of the country's preeminent hospital systems that in addition to providing safe and high quality care have a long history of addressing our community's health through community benefit programs, and
WHEREAS, community benefits are programs or activities that promote health and healing as a response to identified community needs. Examples of community benefits include charity or unreimbursed medical care, community health education, training and continuing medical education for community physicians, medical research, disease and violence prevention programs and community-building activities that promote health such as physical and environmental improvements, workforce development and coalition building, and
WHEREAS, the Affordable Care Act established guidelines for the process by which hospitals should assess the health needs of their communities to inform their community benefit activities, and
WHEREAS, twelve hospital systems in King County came together with each other, the Washington State Hospital Association and Public Health - Seattle & King County in 2011 to form a collaborative partnership called King County Hospitals for a Healthier Community, and
WHEREAS, King County Hospitals for a Healthier Community recognizes that by working together the partners can better leverage expertise and resources to address the most critical health needs in our county and avoid duplication, and
WHEREAS, under the Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals are expected to complete a community health needs assessment every three years and use the results to inform implementation strategies to meet identified community health needs, and
WHEREAS, as one of the first collaborations of King County Hospitals for a Healthier Community, the partners joined forces to develop a collective community health needs assessment and issued it in March 2015, and
WHEREAS, the community health needs assessment reports the demographics of King County and data on life expectancy and leading causes of death and chronic illnesses, and
WHEREAS, the community health needs assessment identified the health needs of the community to include access to care, behavioral health, maternal and child health, preventable causes of disease and violence and injury prevention, and
WHEREAS, the community health needs assessment highlighted issues important to the community. Common themes included: the importance of addressing basic needs like housing and transportation; reducing health inequities; increasing cultural competency and continuing to improve health insurance coverage, health literacy and healthcare system navigation; and strengthening community input and inclusiveness and recognizing existing community assets and resources, and
WHEREAS, Washington state is working to drive improved health for populations and communities through the Healthier Washington innovation plan, and
WHEREAS, Healthier Washington includes a strategy to build healthier communities through collaborative, regionally-governed structures called Accountable Communities of Health, and
WHEREAS, members of King County Hospitals for a Healthier Community are currently engaged in Accountable Community of Health initial design activities in the King County region including participation in the interim Accountable Community of Health Leadership Council, and
WHEREAS, the future King County Accountable Community of Health will be expected to develop a regional health improvement plan that will help focus and align priority health improvement strategies in the region;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Health of King County:
A. The Board of Health commends King County hospitals and health systems, the Washington State Hospital Association and Public Health-Seattle & King County on the issuance of its first joint community health needs assessment.
B. The Board of Health urges King County Hospitals for a Healthier Community to use of the results of the community health needs assessment to inform their individual and collective community benefit strategies.
C. The Board of Health encourages the Accountable Community of Health Interim Leadership Council to consider, leverage, and build upon the community health needs assessment as it considers its approach to developing a future regional health improvement plan.