National Hospital Week Focuses on Hospital’s Continuing Mission to Improve Community Health

May 14, 2025

Fitzgibbon Hospital this week marked National Hospital Week. Staff participated in a number of activities organized by Human Resources, designed to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication to improve the health of our community and fulfill the mission of Fitzgibbon Hospital.

            In this year’s Community Health Needs Assessment, compiled every three years as part of a comprehensive look at Saline County and surrounding communities, Fitzgibbon Hospital identified specific health needs ailing its demographic. The organization will be identifying ways its physicians, nurses and other care staff can address these needs and spur the community to better health in the future.

            “The Community Health Needs Assessment is something we do every three years. It’s part of our requirement as a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 hospital,” said Amy Weber, Director of Payor, Public and Governmental Relations. “We must poll, identify and summarize areas of our community where the hospital has both had an impact and will continue to influence. This was a requirement for all not-for-profit hospitals under the Affordable Care Act and is designed to assist hospitals in developing programs and services in line with their constituents’ needs. What’s clear is that our community still has many health needs, but we have been able to address some of them. It’s a great look back at the value of what we do here.”

            Targeted health needs for the 2025 CHNA, which was approved by the Fitzgibbon Hospital Board of Trustees in April, include:  Improvement of Health Literacy, Healthy Lifestyle Advocacy and continuing to advance the importance of Preventive Care and Wellness.

            Driving the need for Health Literacy Improvement for Saline County is both a lack of understanding among the general population of the medical terminology and how to navigate the health care system but also the language barriers that exist among the numerous nationalities who make Saline County their home. Poverty, education rates and socioeconomic status all affect the health literacy of our area, as many simply do not understand what to do to improve their health. It can be as simple as understanding how often to take a prescribed medication and sticking to that regimen, said Weber, or overcoming a barrier in regard to prescription costs.

            “It is important to note that staff across our entire organization have access to translation services so barriers can be overcome in patient encounters,” said Weber.  “We have access to these services from our clinics to our emergency room.  It is our hope to use these translation services in our development of marketing and health education materials as well.”

            Driving the need for Healthy Lifestyle Advocacy continues to be high levels of obesity due to food insecurity, lack of healthy food options or awareness of healthy food options, lack of activity and physical exercise on a regular basis, and higher than national average rates of smoking and tobacco use.

Previous efforts in past years were only partially successful in encouraging the area to adopt ordinances to protect workers and individuals from smoking and secondhand smoke, though such efforts may be more widely accepted today.

On the mental health front, there continues to be focus on access to mental health options from Fitzgibbon Hospital and related clinics as well as community partners such as the Mental Health Association of Saline County and local schools. There is hope that these resources can continue to develop so there is less assumed “stigma,” and people make more effort to improve their mental and emotional health.

            Lastly, Fitzgibbon Hospital has worked hard to attract providers from an array of specialties to help improve access to important preventive care and wellness. Recent additions include GI Specialist Yan Chen, M.D., whose presence is greatly improving the wait time necessary for a potentially lifesaving colonoscopy or endoscopy procedures. Other specialists like Wallace Ralston, DPA/CRNA helps individuals with activity-limiting pain, and Nurse Practitioner Patti Day is offering walk-in appointments at Marshall Family Practice clinic.

            Fitzgibbon Hospital truly focuses on its mission of “Improving the Health of our Community,” and each employee models that mission in the way they seek to offer compassionate care. From Marshall, Slater and Sweet Springs to Brunswick, Fayette and Pilot Grove, each primary care clinic truly rises to meet the needs of their community.

            The complete 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment and results can be found in the About Us section of www.fitzgibbon.org, at Community Health Needs Assessment | Fitzgibbon Hospital.