Community Health

Our commitment to community health

Together with community partners, we’re building a holistic and equitable healthcare system designed to improve everyone’s health and wellness. Clinical care can diagnose, treat, and often cure diseases, but we recognize health is more than that. Social and economic factors like systemic racism, trauma, food security, housing, and jobs impact more than 50% of people’s well-being. Our community health programs are focused on making systemic changes that will have long lasting impact to build and support well-being in the spaces where we live, work, and play.

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Doctor giving advice to the pregnant woman in medical clinic

We are committed to:

Partnering with our community to achieve health equity and reduce racial disparities
Building relationships to enhance the customer experience of care
Supporting individual health and well-being
Providing access to resources and education
Measuring and improving community health

2019-2022 Community Health Priorities

North Memorial Health Hospital and Maple Grove Hospital are committed to helping the community, each with three community health priorities.

North Memorial Health Hospital: Community Health Priorities

Mental Health

Mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (World Health Organization) We strive to support the mental health of our community members along the mental health continuum.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse refers to the excessive use of substances — tobacco, prescription drugs, opioids, and alcohol — that are harmful to the health of an individual and a community. We will provide education about substance abuse, support ways to reduce access to excessive medication, and create partnerships within the healthcare system to support best practices.

Culturally Responsive Care

Culturally responsive care is the delivery of high-quality care in a personalized way that respects each of our diverse member’s unique cultural and linguistic needs and perspectives. (Kaiser Permanente)

We want to deliver a welcoming and inclusive experience for all people regardless of cultural practices, preferred language, or race. We expect and prepare North Memorial Health Hospital’s staff to deliver culturally responsive and competent care. We also want to include and learn from our community partners about culturally responsive care.

Maple Grove Hospital: Community Health Priorities

Mental Health

Substance Abuse

Healthy Aging

Healthy aging is “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age. Functional ability is about having the capabilities that enable all people to be and do what they have reason to value.” (World Health Organization)

We will work with local government, other healthcare systems, social service providers and community members to create an environment where our aging population can have access to the programs and services needed to age in place.

2020 Community Health Needs Assessment Plans

2021 Accomplishments

More than 2,600 team members trained on “Make it Okay” messaging to reduce stigma around mental health

We empowered team members to feel comfortable addressing mental health issues with their customers, family, friends, and community members.

Purchased and distributing 4,200 Deterra Medication Disposal bags

The Deterra medication disposal pouch makes drugs safe for disposal in the household trash. It protects our environment and prevents accidental overdose by immediately and permanently deactivating and disposing of unneeded pills, patches, liquids, creams, and films.

We purchased 4,200 Deterra bags to distribute to customers through the hospital pharmacies to increase safe disposal of household medications.

Provided virtual support groups for specific health issues

We created and provided virtual support groups for customers, caregivers and community members who are experiencing specific health issues:

Lung cancer
Prostate cancer
Leukemia
Lymphoma
“Coffee and Conversation” for stroke survivors suffering from Aphasia via Zoom

Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) pathway

Over the next two years, we are participating in a study with Hennepin Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network to evaluate the effectiveness of treating opioid use disorder in hospitalized patients. As part of this, we will have active education and support for better hospital-based care of opioid use disorder.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategic plan

With support from a range of team members and leaders, our objective is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels that they belong.

We also deepened relationships with the community through partnerships with diverse media outlets including:

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Hmong Times
Insight News
Univision
KMOJ

Through these platforms, we’ve addressed vaccination education, workforce opportunities, and our Next Step Program & Care for moms, among other initiatives.

Maple Grove farmers market

We hosted two events as part of Senior September that were focused on falls prevention and stroke awareness and education.

2023-2025 Community Health Needs Assessment

We are currently conducting community health needs assessments for both North Memorial Health Hospital and Maple Grove Hospital, which will help us identify our community health priorities for 2023-2025. A community health needs assessment (CHNA) identifies both assets and resources that support healthy communities, as well as health challenges and disparities.

The assessments gather data and community input on a wide range of health issues including:

the health of community members (demographic characteristics, births, deaths, chronic conditions, communicable diseases, mental health),
health behaviors (substance use, physical activity, nutrition),
accessible and affordable health care, including preventive health such as health care screenings, immunizations, and dental care, and
healthy and safe environments, and social and economic factors that influence health (education and employment, affordable housing, social support).

Data comes from both secondary data sources such as health surveys that gather information on the health of youths and adults in the community, and primary data collection by intentionally engaging with community members and organizations to identify and understand significant health needs in the community and seek input on addressing gaps and barriers so community members can lead healthy lives.

Working closely with the hospitals’ Community Engagement Advisory Teams (CEAT), data from all these sources is reviewed and priority health issues are selected for action. Partnering with the CEATs, community partners, and community members, a community health implementation plan is developed that outlines strategies for addressing the priority health issues.

Carer Pushing Senior Woman In Wheelchair

Service Area

The area selected for data analysis includes the top 75% of all customers admitted to North Memorial Health Hospital and Maple Grove Hospital in the year 2021. The service area includes 31 ZIP codes, 34 cities and/or townships, and 7 school districts located partially or fully within the service area.

Click map for expanded view

Father and daughter laughing

Timeline

As part of our Community Health Needs Assessment, we will undergo both quantitative and qualitative research from February through June that will guide us as we select our 2023-2025 community health needs priorities.

February – May 2022
Quantitative analysis