Priority Health Needs to be Addressed
Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital identified the top priority needs as chronic conditions, obesity, smoking and access. Each priority area includes a dashboard showing how the community compares to the state of MO. Additional information is available by clicking on each indicator listed on the dashboard.
Priority Area: Chronic Conditions
Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital will support the management of chronic conditions by providing obesity and smoking cessation programs, two primary risk factors for disease development and poor control. The hospital also provides a Diabetes Self-Management Program and support programs such as Better Breathers for those with chronic breathing conditions, Mended Hearts and Women Heart for those with cardiac conditions, Conquer for those with any type of cancer, a Breast Cancer Support Group, and Man to Man for those with prostate cancer at any stage.
Priority Area: Obesity
Rationale: Overweight/obesity remains a growing concern in the county, state and country. Obesity is linked to major chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and stroke. The 2011 Obese Adults in St. Charles County was 25.2 percent, a decline from the 2007 rate of 29.3 percent; however, the 2011 rate of Overweight Adults in St. Charles County was 37.1 percent, an increase from the 33.9 percent rate in 2007 (HCI 2011).
If the obesity rate in St. Charles County is reduced it will positively impact the health of the community; therefore, the hospital will offer Biggest Winner of St. Charles County two times each year. Each session will last 10 weeks. Biggest Winner of St. Charles County does demonstrate a decrease in weight among participants by approximately two percent per round.
Priority Area: Smoking
Rationale: Tobacco use brings premature death to almost half a million Americans each year, and it contributes to profound disability and pain in many others. Approximately one-third of all tobacco users in this country will die prematurely because of their dependence on tobacco. Areas with a high smoking prevalence will also have greater exposure to secondhand smoke for non-smokers, which can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma (source: HCI).
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States (source: CDC). Smoking leads to premature death and contributes to health care costs. Tobacco use treatment is one of the most cost-effective clinical preventive services.
Currently, 16.6 percent of the adults in St. Charles County smoke cigarettes. While this number is trending downward from 18.3 percent during 2002-2008 (time series data), the percent of smokers still exceeds the Healthy People 2020 national health target for adults, aged 18 years and older who smoke cigarettes, to reach 12 percent (source: HCI). Additionally, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a 40-year decline in smoking leveled off about five years ago.
If there is a decrease in the number of people who smoke in St. Charles County it will have a positive impact on the health of the community. If information about risks associated with second-hand smoke is readily available to the community, they will be able to make informed decisions about their exposure risk.
Smoking cessation programs provide support and motivation; therefore, the hospital will offer eleven 4-week sessions yearly with a minimum of 5 participants per session.
Priority Area: Access
Rationale: Access to health care is an ongoing and national concern. Many issues fall under the umbrella of access. All nonprofit hospitals have policies in place to provide financial assistance to individuals that are underinsured or uninsured. In addition, these policies have been recently revised to expand the number of individuals qualifying for financial assistance. Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, as a member of BJC Health care, will advocate for policies that support sustainability and make sense for our community.
Additional Health Areas
Senior Health and Health Literacy were not included in the priorities selected by the Community Benefit Team for BJSP; however, the hospital plans to continue initiatives already in place for these community health needs.
Senior Health: Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital and Progress West Hospital offer a membership program at the St. Peters City Hall that meets monthly called Showcase on Seniors. The Program covers a variety of topics including health and wellness, health literacy, fraud prevention and more.
Health Literacy: Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital supports health literacy through a partnership with Progress West Hospital and the St. Charles City-County Library. The hospital provides ongoing programs at multiple library branches to educate the community about health issues and and answer consumers' questions. Progress West Hospital will formally address this community need in their hospital implementation plan.