HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8507 y
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8507
July 22, 2003
° To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 1 of 3
r� SUBJECT: Benefit of the Fort Worth Community Needs Assessment
During the pre-Council meeting of May 29, 2003 additional information regarding the benefit, impact
and use of the Fort Worth Public Health Department's Community Needs Assessment was requested.
The Community Needs Assessment (CNA) provides the City of Fort Worth with a significant level of
insight into the health priorities of the community. Much of the information garnered by the CNA is
unavailable from any other source and is used by a multitude of city and community organizations to
identify health priorities, justify funding and target disparities for myriad of health and social services.
Further, due to the sample size and consequent statistical power of the results, the information can be
used to reliably extract information reflecting the concerns of smaller geographic areas, such as
neighborhood police districts, council districts, and zip codes. Ultimately, by developing programs based
on accurate information, taxpayer's monies are targeted in the most efficient and economical manner.
The following is a sample of how the results of the CNA are used by internal and external city customers:
The Public Health Department (Internal and External Customers):
An assessment of this nature is a cornerstone activity of the Public Health Department. It is used to
select those programs most likely to impact the priorities, needs and disparities of the community. A
sample of how the divisions within the department use the CNA follows:
Animal Care and Control: The CNA is used to determine field assignments, identify areas for low-cost
clinics,and target educational programs. Data only available from the CNA was used to justify $168,849
in grant funding.
Health Promotions and Education Division: In keeping with recommendations by the original Blue
Ribbon Panel on Public Health, information from the CNA directs educational efforts to promote
healthier choices by citizens. The current CNA will provide the only reliable measure of the
effectiveness of these efforts. A total of$101,028 in grant funds for the Walk for the Health of It program
have been obtained based on data mined from the CNA.
Outreach Division: The CNA is used to target programs and issues that are identified as critical to the
community. Data from the CNA regarding immunization rates resulted in the award of grant fields for
the Hot Shots vaccination program.
Epidemiology and Assessment: Data from the CNA is often used to respond to over 200 requests for
information each year. Summary reports disseminated by this division have been used to support
multiple health initiatives and grant applications. A sample of these reports generated by the
Epidemiology and Assessment Division for both internal and external customers includes:
0 Self-Reported Diabetes Mellitus Prevalence Trends.
0 Measurement of Health Status in Fort Worth.
0 Self-Reported Hypertension Prevalence Trends in Fort Worth.
0 Effects of Personal Characteristics on Health Insurance Coverage in Fort Worth.
0 Asthma Prevalence Trends in Fort Worth.
' 0 Hispanic and African-American Health Issues.
0 Proposal for HeartPower—A Youth Education and Physical Activity Program.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8507
July 22, 2003
1 " '` To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 2 of 3
rx SUBJECT: Benefit of the Fort Worth Community Needs Assessment
0 Citizens' Guide to Health in Fort Worth,
0 Public Health Problem Statements.
0 A Report on Oral and Dental Health Needs in Fort Worth.
0 CPR Certification Classes.
0 Congregational/Community Health Promoters Program.
0 Diabetes Awareness and Education in the Community.
0 Prevent Blindness (Demographic and need information).
0 Results from the Community Needs Assessment for NPDs 8 and 10; Data for ZIP 76105 and
76106.
0 Health Information Research Project.
0 Comprehensive Plan.
0 Animal Control Bite Prevention.
0 Physical Activity and Nutrition.
0 Informal Report to City Council—Health Disparities in the Minority Community.
0 Obesity in Fort Worth.
0 Hypertension in Fort Worth.
0 Dental Visits by ZIP Code.
0 MHMR Services for Children.
0 Mental Health, Substance Abuse &Nutrition Data.
0 Health Indicators by Race/Ethnicity.
City Departments:
The following lists examples of how city departments use Community Needs Assessment data to support
their activities:
* Parks and Community Services Department: The results of the CNA are used to identify gaps
in services.
* Housing Department: CNA data is used to make funding and staffing decisions, perform gap
analyses to identify unmet needs, and evaluate housing neighborhood programs and services.
* Fort Worth Fire Department: Data from the CNA is used to provide smoke detectors to high-
risk households.
* Fort Worth Police Department: CNA information is used to drive domestic abuse activities and
support evaluation.
* Emergency Operations Center (EOQ: The EOC used information from the CNA to assist in
the development of the Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Analysis for the City of Fort Worth.
Community Organizations:
Numerous community organizations, stakeholders, and city departments whose activities impact the well
being of Fort Worth citizens, are involved in planning the CNA. Although some of the CNA questions
seem similar to other city inquiries,these questions were included at the request of those city departments
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8507
July 22, 2003
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Page 3 of 3
s SUBJECT: Benefit of the Fort Worth Community Needs Assessment
to further validate their original results. The following lists a sample of the community, health and social
service organizations throughout the city that have directly benefited from C]vA information:
• American Cancer Society: Lifestyle and risk factors identified by the CNA are frequently cited
for funding and programs.
• The United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County: The United Way has been a partner in the
development and content of the CNA. The local United Way uses CNA extensively data to target
interventions and support funding for programs.
• Fetal Infant Mortality Review Summit: Results are used to target specific risk behaviors not
identified in Vital Records.
• Texas Department of Health, Regional Office, Region 213: The TDH Regional office has
referred to the CNA as "an example of a very well-planned and executed assessment" and an
"example of how to do a thorough and statistically valid community assessment." The staff at
TDH has expressed eagerness to acquire the results of the current CNA to establish the impact of
prevention, promotion and education programs. *
• American Heart Association: The results are used to target educational programs to underserved
populations.
• Texas Cooperative Extension: CNA data is used to target programs, conduct evaluations and
justify funding.
• John Peter Smith Health Network: A JPS respondent stated, "Without this essential data, it is
impossible to plan effective educational programs." The CNA is essential to the efficient and
effective provision of JPS programs.*
• University of North Texas Health Sciences Center (UNTHSC): UNTHSC uses the results of the
CNA extensively for a variety of academic, grant, program and informational/educational
activities within Fort Worth.*
• Osteopathic Health Systems of Texas: CNA data has been used for accreditation, to meet
Medicare and Medicaid requirements, to prioritize marketing efforts, to develop community
outreach services, and to support grant funding.*
• UNTHSC, School of Public Health (SPH): The SPH uses the CNA for academic and funding
proj ects.*
• Challenge, Inc.: Data from the CNA is used to secure funding to impact substance abuse
programs in the community.*
*Indicates a letter of testimonial has been provided identifying program and/or financial benefits
attributable to data from the CNA.
ary W. a kson
y Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
N �__1 m