Would you like to share your opinion on the health of your community? The Northeast Nebraska Rural Health Network (NNRHN) is currently gathering data about the health of the area and is inviting the public to share their input through a short survey which is available at www.nnphd.org.
This survey will help the NNRHN identify factors that are impacting health in Cedar, Dixon, Thurston and Wayne Counties. The NNRHN is completing a tri-annual community health needs assessment (CHNA) and community health improvement plan (CHIP).
The process involves focus groups and meetings with community members from all sectors, surveys completed by individual residents, and analysis of secondary data from a variety of sources.
The current assessment and planning cycle includes an increased focus on social determinants of health and health disparities. Social determinants of health are factors such as safe housing and access to healthy food and play an important role in the level of health people are able to achieve.
Health disparities refer to differences in health outcomes which are impacted by gender, race and ethnicity, income and so on. These disparities affect the entire community negatively and result in increased stress (including cost) to the health care system.
The NNRHN is made up of area partners working together to strengthen the rural health care system, expand access to and improve quality of essential health services, as well as to improve health outcomes.
The founding partners include Pender Community Hospital, Providence Medical Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Winnebago Health Department of the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department. Midtown Health Center of Norfolk recently joined the Network.
The Network is open to both formal and informal partnerships through involvement by individuals and organizations in its various activities including the CHNA and CHIP, as well as a newly formed Health Equity Advisory Council.
NNRHN began in 2018 when the founding partners decided that working together will have more impact on the health of communities than each organization working alone. It has resulted in stronger inter-agency collaborative work efforts as well as securing a three-year, $300,000 per year Health Resources and Services Administration grant to the area.
This grant will support for interventions in high priority health issues for our region, as well as continued development of the infrastructure for the Network. This grant also funds the NNRHN Director position housed in the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department.
For more information, contact Network Director, Lori Steffen at lori@nnphd.org or by calling (402) 375-2200.
