Defining Community Benefits
A community benefit program or activity provides treatment and/or promotes health and healing as a response to the community needs of a target population identified through a community needs assessment with the active collaboration of the community and populations to be served. Community benefits programs are not provided for marketing purposes.
Walking School Bus Program at Brightwood Elementary School, North End of Springfield. Led by Karen Pohlman, FNP, Community Program Manager, Baystate Health.
Baystate Health Reports to MA Attorney General
From the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)
Top Health Needs for Baystate Medical Center
- Access to CareLack of access to affordable dental care, mental health services, and medical care. Need for increased coordination of care. Need for culturally sensitive care.
- Health Behaviors and PreventionHigh rates of alcohol, tobacco and drug use. High rates of asthma. High rates of diet- and exercise-related diseases and mortality (eg, obesity, diabetes, heart disease). High rates of unsafe sex, teen pregnancy, STDs.
- Maternal Child HealthPediatric disability needs. Infant health risk factors (eg smoking during pregnancy, births to women ages 40-54)
- Social Determinants of HealthBasic needs insecurity. Low educational attainment. Poor built environment and environmental quality. Poor community safety (eg, homicide, violent crime). Racial and ethnic disparaties in disease morbidity and mortality.