Comparasion Diabetes Education Programs

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Hospital Description and Services Provided

Pocahontas Memorial Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It is a CAH facility because it fits the criteria of 25 beds or less. CAH facilities receive governmental subsidies in order to sustain important healthcare services that wouldn't otherwise be available in rural or remote communities. As such, PMH offers all basic hospital services such as Emergency Room, Lab, Imaging, and Inpatient Med/Surg. In addition, it also provides Skilled Nursing, Rehab, and Diabetes Education. The PMH website exudes a strong sense of community. In addition, PMH is a proud Studor Group Partner, so not only does it care about its community, but its staff promotes best practices and strives to find new and better ways to serve its patients and community.

Community Health Needs Assessment Study

The purpose of a Community Health Needs Assessment is to gather information from the surrounding area of a health system, determine the needs of that population, and most importantly, implement changes with the overall goal of best caring for that population. Pocahontas Memorial Hospital conducted its Community Needs Assessment Study in October 2013, with the board, leadership, and staff of PMH, along with the Center for Rural Health Development, Inc.. As part of the assessment, nineteen key community leaders were also interviewed to access additional community needs in such as law enforcement, industry, and business. The study includes both quantitative (demographics, health outcomes) and qualitative (community leader interviews) factors. In addition, the results from previous Community Health Needs Assessments were evaluated as part of the process. The study encompassed a population that best represented Pocahontas County in terms of the "County's demographic, geographic, socio-economic, clinical care and physical environment". The results of the study will be used to help the hospital "positively impact the health of residents in its service area as part of the Hospital's strategic planning process."

The most notable findings of the study are as follows:
• The county's population has decreased since 2010, however, the age of the population has increased, therefore, volumes have not decreased.
• Lack of non-emergency medical transportation is identified as a barrier to medical care.
• PMH shows better ratings than the state and nation in socio-economic factors such as children in poverty, free or reduced lunch, teen births, and high school graduation rates. In fact, unemployment rate shows 0%.
• Although the study shows there is access to healthy food choices (ie super markets), interviews from community leaders reveal there is a large portion of population eating meals from gas stations and the like. In addition, the population demonstrates a need for education on healthy eating and food choices.
• Obesity, lack of physical activity, and poor eating habits are a concern for adults and children. In addition, substance abuse, ...