Community Health Needs Assessment 2022

vision continues to place ChristianaCare at the forefront of population health, and a nationally recognized leader in developing a social care framework, where clinical care, services, facilitated connections and community investments advance health outcomes and health equity and support a strong and vibrant community.

Community Health Needs Assessment 2022

In early 2022, ChristianaCare undertook a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). This CHNA assessed community health needs in two geographic areas in New Castle County: “Community 1” (zip codes 19801, 19802, 19804, 19805, and 19720) and “Community 2” (all other zip codes).

The distinction was made to ensure county-wide statistics would not overshadow the areas with the greatest need, found in Community 1. To learn from our community what is important to them and to supplement the data-driven findings, ChristianaCare held a series of community meetings with the participation of 35 community stakeholders and 110 students from William Penn High School’s health classes. We also held internal meetings with 45 ChristianaCare staff members. We had looked forward to hold these meetings in person at community locations, but unfortunately, the planning of the community meetings coincided with a significant increase in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. For the safety attendees, community meetings were arranged to ensure safety. As a result of the community meeting discussions, secondary data findings, and interviews with the Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Secretary for Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) and the Director for the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH), the following were identified as significant health needs:

• Access to health services, including dental • Chronic health conditions • Maternal and child health • Mental health and substance use disorders • Social determinants of health • Violent crime Except for chronic health conditions, these significant health needs were all prioritized in the 2019 CHNA. ChristianaCare will continue its significant work to address these needs with the addition of chronic health conditions.

We were fortunate to have so many high school-aged students participate in the 2022 CHNA. The significant needs the students chose mirrored the significant needs the adults identified, with the addition of the needs listed below:

• Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) • Smoking, tobacco, and vape product use ChristianaCare addresses STIs among adolescents, with our School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) providing direct access to testing and care for students in the public high schools across New Castle County. With parent/guardian consent, a student may receive STI testing, be tested for pregnancy, or simply access contraceptives, after a medical visit with a clinical provider. While we are not further prioritizing these needs in this cycle, we have reinforced the access to these services at our SBHCs, ensuring close, affordable resources for young adults to proactively address their reproductive health.