Assessing Our Community’s Health Needs

Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (PPI) and Penn State Health are committed to understanding and addressing the health needs of the communities it serves and promoting sustainable and collaborative action. To best do that, the systems partnered with community organizations and members to complete its fourth Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and develop a plan to address the prioritized needs identified.

For this fourth assessment cycle, PPI and Penn State Health formed a collective workgroup that included Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center, Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center, Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital and key community stakeholders to identify and address the needs of residents living in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and Perry counties. The Lancaster community was included because Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center was under construction during this assessment. The Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine coordinated the CHNA efforts. By taking a systemwide approach to data collection and community health planning, PPI and Penn State Health will leverage system assets across the service area to address prioritized health needs.