Parkland, DCHHS unveil Community Health Needs Assessment implementation plan

Posted: 2/18/2020

Aims to decrease health disparities, improve health outcomes in Dallas County

Parkland Health & Hospital System and Dallas County Health & Human Services (DCHHS) have presented the implementation plan developed in response to the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) released on Sept. 30, 2019. The CHNA identified significant health disparities in Southern Dallas County and documented the incidence of diseases across racial and ethnic minorities, socio-economic factors, underserved populations, and access to care.

The report was developed in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and as part of the accreditation process for public health departments. The implementation plan focuses on transparency, accountability and collaboration by:
• Describing the strategies that Parkland and DCHHS will deploy to address the key findings of the CHNA
• Outlining the quality metrics that will demonstrate progress toward a healthier community
• Calling for collaboration to address the complex social, economic and systemic factors known as social determinants of health (SDOH) that contribute to the chronic and endemic disparities present in Dallas County.

The plan identifies priority health conditions to be addressed:
• Chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, asthma and cancer
• Maternal and child health
• Infectious diseases, including the increasing number of sexually transmitted disease cases in Dallas County
• Behavioral health

It also establishes strategies for addressing access to care, demand for health services for special populations, and the need for collaborative action to collectively impact socio-economic factors that contribute to poor health outcomes among at-risk populations. Parkland and DCHHS are committed to establishing a joint cultural competency plan responsive to the CHNA priorities and to expand efforts to improve health literacy.

To view the Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan, please visit
www.parklandhospital.com/CHNA2019. To learn more about Parkland services, visit www.parklandhospital.com.