Community Needs Assessment survey in Crook County

ALIGN, in coordination with a local task force, is conducting a Community Needs Assessment in Crook County. Members of the local task force include representatives from the hospital, city/county government, library, school district and other local agencies.

The assessment will help inform decisions on local services and programs as they relate to healthcare and utilization of Community Service Block Grant funding.

Included in the assessment is a countywide survey. Each Crook County household should receive a survey via mail.

The survey states that it should be mailed back by September 5. Howeverm due to some mailing delays, this date has been extended to September 10.

“Often times a problem is clearly identified by the person who must deal with it,” says Anthony Vopat, EMS Coordinator for Crook County Medical Services, “But often the problem is not always known to everyone else. In the health care field, we use studies and research to guide our treatments and future growth plans.”

Part of that research, Vopat says, is conducting surveys: “It is a great way to gain data that will map out a course for health improvement and build strategies to make sustainable positive changes for our area.”

Jody Shields, Vice President for ALIGN, says the survey is a critical component to the assessment, so responses are very important.

“In order to make it easier for households to participate in the survey we are providing different options for them to complete the survey. Households can complete the paper survey and mail it back in the enclosed postage-paid envelope or they can complete the survey online by going to Crook County Medical Services District website http://www.ccmsd.org. All surveys are confidential and anonymous,” Shields says.

As a thank you for participation, households can choose to be entered in a drawing for a $200 gift card. If you do not receive a survey in the mail, you are encouraged to go to the hospital’s website and take the online survey. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete.