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Opportunity strong to improve community health

Editorial

November 03, 2011

James Mann | jmann@winchestersun.com

At a time when spirits are generally low over the state of the economy, and the level of vitriol is high in matters of public interest, it is comforting to witness what promises to be a cooperative and uplifting community-wide effort.

Anyone who left the Wednesday morning meeting at the Clark County Extension Services office with anything less than a sense of optimism was not paying attention. This community is fortunate to have the resources and the vision revealed by the Clark Regional Foundation for the Promotion of Health and its partner, the Clark County Health Department and Home Health Agency.

With the proceeds from the recent sale of the Clark County hospital (just the business, not the property) to LifePoint Hospitals, the foundation board of directors has chosen to give something back — something really big.

The foundation and the health department hosted a kickoff Wednesday of “Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships” (MAPP), an effort to involve the entire community in the development of a strategic plan for improving community health.

The result will include a process through which needs will be clearly identified, proposals put forth and grants from the $15-million (so far) endowment will be distributed to agencies that can show their ability to address the plan’s objectives.

All of that will take time — and effort. The kickoff Wednesday was in part a solicitation for additional partners. Representatives from across Clark County, from institutions both public and private, were briefed on the process and invited to participate. It was stressed that interested members of the community not present at the kickoff are welcome to join the effort.

Once a team has been formed, facilitators will conduct brainstorming sessions and the CCHD’s MAPP Coordinator Beth Willett will guide the process in hopes there will be a plan in place within 12 months. In three to five years, the plan will be reviewed to determine whether goals have been met and revised to address new needs that may have arisen.

It will be interesting to see how those involved in this effort choose to define what is or is not considered a “community health” issue, what needs are determined to be great enough to be included in the plan, and what creative ideas emerge as to how to address them.

For now, the community should revel in the opportunity that has presented itself, and be thankful to a group of people with a vision and a commitment.

LifePoint’s new state-of-the-art hospital is under construction, and the future of the real property still owned by the local hospital board still is in doubt, still for sale to an entity yet to step forward to express interest. We have little doubt the board will make sure that whoever is the buyer, the facility’s use will continue to be in the best interest of Clark County and Winchester, just as it is carefully making such use of the bounty so far achieved.

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