July 11, 2022
Columbia/West Columbia, SC – MUSC Health and Lexington Medical Center, in collaboration with Alliance for a Healthier SC, South Carolina Hospital Association, and SC DHEC are launching a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) this summer to learn how to best serve their shared community. This partnership includes the assistance of numerous community partner agencies such as non-profits, other health care organizations to aid in distributing the assessment. The results from the assessment will allow for the development of a plan to collectively address the needs of the community, both clinical and non-clinical.
A Community Health Needs Assessment is a systematic survey involving the community to identify and analyze community health needs. The results provide organizations with the community’s health priorities so they can plan and act upon unmet needs. As a best practice, many health systems periodically conduct a CHNA to understand the critical needs of the communities served. “We are excited to see this collaboration to better understand the needs of the Midlands community,” said Monty Robertson, Director, Alliance for a Healthier SC. “This partnership further enhances the long-term goal of the Alliance, SC Hospital Association, and SC DHEC to align community health improvement efforts between local and state plans.”
“MUSC Health is committed to improving the health of our community through education, research and patient care. Identifying the issues of greatest concern is the first step in strategic development and utilization of our resources,” said Terry Gunn, CEO, MUSC Health Midlands Division. “The information provided from the Community Health Needs Assessment will give MUSC Health and our partner Lexington Medical Center a broader snapshot of the overall health needs of our community and work together to identify ways to decrease barriers to patients to access care.”
“For more than 50 years, Lexington Medical Center has provided quality care to our friends, families and neighbors in the Midlands. We’re excited to partner with MUSC Health for the Community Health Needs Assessment, a valuable tool to help us and MUSC Health identify and address the health needs in our communities,” said Tod Augsburger, president and CEO of Lexington Medical Center. “Working together, we can continue to find ways to meet the health care needs of Midlands residents and provide them with access to vital resources that will improve their overall health and well-being.”
Residents of Richland and Lexington Counties are asked to complete the needs assessment survey using this link: https://bit.ly/3Il4ax8
It will take about 10 minutes to complete this survey and responses will remain anonymous.
Community focus groups will also be conducted throughout the Richland and Lexington counties. Upon completion of the Community Health Needs Assessment and once results are compiled, a report will be made available. The community will be engaged in the development of strategies to address the identified health needs.
Contact Punam Patel at patelpun@musc.edu or Thomas Tafel at tetafel@lexhealth.org for any additional questions or to request a paper copy of the CHNA.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,000 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 850 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $327.6 million in research funds in fiscal year 2021, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.
As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and five additional hospital locations in development; more than 350 telehealth sites, with connectivity to patients’ homes; and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.
MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets totaling $4.4 billion. The nearly 25,000 MUSC team members include a world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver and support groundbreaking education, research and patient care.
Lexington Medical Center is a 607-bed teaching hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes five community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 8,000 health care professionals. The hospital is ranked best hospital in the Columbia Metro and #2 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report and was named one of the “Best Places to Work in South Carolina” by SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group. Lexington Medical Cancer Center is an accredited Cancer Center of Excellence and has a clinical research and education affiliation with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. The network includes a cardiovascular program recognized by the American College of Cardiology as South Carolina's first HeartCARE Center. The network also has an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer's care center and more than 70 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 100,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 4,000 babies each year and performs more than 25,000 surgeries. Its postgraduate medical education programs include family medicine and transitional year residencies.
