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How Vermont State Legislative Health Leaders Prioritize Community Health Needs: A Qualitative Analysis
Antanesian, Anayis M Caffry, Sarah Hutt, Nicolas Leckerling, Andrew Luo, Jiayi Nguyen, Kadi Quach, Anthony Zhang, George
Antanesian, Anayis M
Caffry, Sarah
Hutt, Nicolas
Leckerling, Andrew
Luo, Jiayi
Nguyen, Kadi
Quach, Anthony
Zhang, George
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Abstract
Background: The Affordable Care Act requires hospitals to develop Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) every 3 years, identifying community-specific health goals and implementation strategies. However, it is unclear how CNHAs are translated into healthcare policy. College of Medicine students analyzed how Vermont state legislative health leaders prioritized community health needs and their alignment with hospital CHNAs. Methods: The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare participated in a virtual focus group; all five committee members were asked six questions by a student moderator. The session was transcribed and corroborated with video review. Utilizing qualitative analysis, responses were independently reviewed and coded into common themes to identify trends in health priorities as identified by the policymakers, and Senators’ methods used to identify those health needs. Results: Community health priorities identified by Senate health policymakers aligned with many reported in CHNAs, although CHNAs were not used in their decision-making process. All Senators cited mental health services, affordable housing, and substance use; categories also listed in the top five needs by most Vermont hospital CHNAs. Conclusion: This study found that top health priorities of Senate health policy leaders align with CHNAs. While policymakers did not prioritize use of CHNAs as a resource to inform decision-making, CHNAs may provide a beneficial resource for them moving forward. For example, childcare and obesity often appear in CHNAs, but were not highlighted in the focus group. Future broader studies may give a more comprehensive understanding of potential CHNA utility in real-world health care policy development and implementation.
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Date
2022-06-01