Community Health Assessment Executive Summary

Executive Summaries provide an overview of a project or initiative. They are often included at the beginning of Project Reports as an overall summary for the entire project and serve as a “stand alone” document.

Executive Summaries should be succinct and discuss only the most important factors of the project. No

background information is necessary, as the audience likely already knows the background of the organization. You should, however, introduce the problem and the purpose of the initiative.

Discuss any developing recommendations, major findings, policies and/or programs. Your readers are looking to the Executive Summary for a very quick summation of your findings.

The Executive Summary allows the reader to quickly understand the results and persuades them to investigate further.

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For this assignment you will addressing the following:

• Overview – Describes what the report is all about including the purpose and aim.
• The Problem
  • Describe the problem you are solving, your identified health issue that you have worked with throughout the course
  • Information to supporting the importance of the issue such as epidemiologic data
    • Who is the target audience? Who is the problem affecting?
  • Relevant information from key informants
  • Findings from SWOT analysis
• The Solution
  • How does the community solve the problem for the target audience?
  • The results and recommendations you discovered.
  • What results do you expect?
• Keys to success
  • The main steps/requirements necessary for the initiative to be successful – include projected financial needs
• Conclusion
  • Summary of most important points
• Formatting and style
  • The report should be approximately 2 pages in length
  • Use bullet points and bolding to emphasize your main points.
  • Use your best judgement to eliminate unnecessary information. Think about the following:
    • What would the reader want to know about the report?
    • What findings would the reader be most interested in?
    • How can I convince them to take further action?

Total Points: 50

SWOT Analysis

Health Issue: Chronic Disease                        Community: New Jersey

	Positives	Negatives
Internal	Strengths Ø  Healthcare infrastructure availability Ø  Diversity in the community Ø  Availability of educational institutions Ø  Preexisting community programs Ø  Digital infrastructure	Weaknesses Ø  Health disparities among different socio-economic groups Ø  Limited access to healthcare in some areas. Ø  Health literacy issues Ø  Healthcare resource constraints
External	Opportunities Ø  Collaboration with local and national organizations Ø  Technological advancements to improve care delivery Ø  Support from state and federal government	Threats Ø  Budget constraints may limit program implementation Ø  Resistance to change from the local community Ø  Shifting demographics may hinder adaptation to the program Ø  Competing health priorities Ø  Regulatory challenges

SWOT Summary

The implementation of changes to address the issue of chronic diseases in New Jersey is dependent on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the community. Focusing on the strengths of this community, diversity in the population provides a great chance to implement change. For instance, New Jersey is ranked the 4th most diverse state in America. The population in this community includes Hispanic Whites, White (Non-Hispanic), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (New Jersey State Health Assessment Data, 2023). Diversity in this population provides a chance for targeted outreach programs and the potential for a rich pool of multilingual professionals.

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Secondly, a robust healthcare infrastructure including well-equipped hospitals and skilled personnel can support strategies for chronic disease management. Educational institutions like local universities and colleges can be used to provide avenues for collaboration and access to crucial information about chronic diseases (Goodridge et al., 2019). Preexisting community programs like the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) are a strength of the community. Lastly, digital infrastructure like the availability of the internet and remote monitoring systems can enhance the accessibility of services.

Several weaknesses in the community can affect the implementation of changes to address the issue of chronic disease in New Jersey. First is the issue of health disparities among socio-economic groups. A recent study conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) found perceived disparities in individual experiences, race, gender, income, education, location, and other factors. For example, quality access to services differed in rural and urban areas and 39% of the respondents reported perceived inequitable healthcare access related to racial discrimination (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2022).

The issue of limited access to healthcare in certain areas can also be a problem for those who seek to benefit from visiting their primary care providers. Lastly, budget limitations are observed to hinder support for comprehensive disease management programs. Resource constraints in the areas of healthcare professionals and educational settings limit the extent of managing chronic diseases in the community.

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Several external factors should be considered when planning to address the issue of chronic disease in the New Jersey community. Partnerships with community-based organizations and non-profit organizations are opportunities observed. Secondly, there is support from the government to secure additional funding for chronic disease management programs. Technological advances in the community like the integration of mobile apps and remote patient monitoring systems can help to better manage individuals with chronic diseases (Murtagh et al., 2021).

Threats that can hinder the new approach to chronic disease management include budget constraints and resistance to change. For example, the projected cost of chronic disease in the coming years is $1.1 trillion making it a great concern for funding organizations. Community resistance to adopting new healthcare practices and policies may also threaten the proposed changes. Lastly, there are competing priorities that may create a diversion of resources or create challenges in gaining attention from sponsors.

Analysis of SWOT Findings

Interconnections between the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats exist and this can be leveraged to the community’s advantage. For instance, the existence of a robust healthcare infrastructure can be used to address the threat of budget constraints. A strong healthcare infrastructure can be leveraged to attract partnerships with private healthcare providers or institutions, potentially alleviating budget constraints through collaborative funding (Murtagh et al., 2021). Secondly, educational institutions in the community can be used to address the weakness of health literacy in the community. Partnerships with these institutions can help to create programs that focus on chronic disease management and self-initiated approaches that community members can use to improve their health.

Digital infrastructure availability is one of the strengths in the community that can be used to address the threat of resistance to change and the weakness of health literacy. Telehealth services and remote monitoring systems in community health institutions can address resistance to change by demonstrating the positive impact on accessibility and convenience. Technological advancements as an opportunity can also be used to bridge the gap in healthcare access for residents in remote areas. Lastly, budget constraints as a threat can be mitigated using government support and grants as opportunities.

Recommendations

Based on the above discussion, I would recommend community education and empowerment. Implementing education programs will enhance health literacy and focus on prevention, early detection, and chronic disease self-management (Goodridge et al., 2019). Secondly, I would recommend collaborations with local healthcare providers, educational institutions, community organizations, and businesses to create a united front against chronic diseases. Expanding telehealth services and digital access is another strategy that I recommend to help address the issue of access to healthcare. Resources that will be required include secure funding from the government, private partnerships, healthcare professionals specialized in chronic disease management, and investing in technology.

References

Goodridge, D., Bandara, T., Marciniuk, D., Hutchinson, S., Crossman, L., Kachur, B., Higgins, D., & Bennett, A. (2019). Promoting chronic disease management in persons with complex social needs: A qualitative descriptive study. Chronic Respiratory Disease, 16, 1479973119832025.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1479973119832025

Murtagh, S., McCombe, G., Broughan, J., Carroll, Á., Casey, M., Harrold, Á., … & Cullen, W. (2021). Integrating primary and secondary care to enhance chronic disease management: A scoping review. International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.5508

New Jersey State Health Assessment Data. (2023). New Jersey’s public health data source: Complete health indicator report of population demographics. https://www-doh.state.nj.us/doh-shad/indicator/complete_profile/Demographics.html

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2022). Beliefs about healthcare and health inequities in New Jersey. https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/our-research/2022/11/new-jersey-poll-finds-demographics-shape-perceptions-of-health-equity.html