Utilizing a Community Health Needs Assessment to Discover Service Gaps for a Rural Maternal Child Health Organization

Abstract

The maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the United States are the highest in the developed world. Sources believe major contributors to this loss of life are poor preconception health, lack of access to high-quality healthcare, and social determinants of health. The use of community health organizations and improving the quality of community resources may improve the health of mothers and children within a geographic region. A local maternal child health (MCH) organization in the southeastern United States struggles to provide services to promote healthy living among pregnant women, postpartum women, and their families. Due to worsening MCH factors in the region, the organization chose to assess the needs of the pregnant people and families in the community. A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) was conducted to discover gaps in the prenatal, postpartum, and early infant services provided by the organization. The CHNA was used to assess community knowledge and utilization of services and to identify common healthcare barriers reported by the community. An electronic survey was available September 2, 2021, through December 14, 2021, and participants were able to volunteer to conduct a personal interview. Four individuals completed an interview. Twenty-two providers and 137 community members submitted the electronic survey. The most common healthcare barriers identified by the community were lack of access to obstetric and pediatric healthcare services and an inability to pay for healthcare services. Organization service gaps identified included accessing healthcare services, mental health services, labor and birth support, and child care classes. Community knowledge and utilization of the organization’s services was low. The CHNA was successful in recruiting community participation and identifying gaps in the services provided by the organization. However, the survey’s sample population failed to capture the multicultural diversity of the community, possibly missing the voices of the most vulnerable families in this area. The organization must create short- and long-term goals to address the needs of the community. This may entail partnering with other local health organizations and instigating face-to-face marketing to increase community awareness of the services the organization provides.