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Heywood Hospital Logo

Community Benefit

Commitment to benefiting the health of our community

For More Information About Our Community Benefit Program

For more information about our Community Benefit Program, please contact Mary Giannetti, Resource Development Director.

mary.giannetti@ heywood.org

Community Benefit Mission Statement

Athol Hospital and Heywood Hospital are committed to advancing our community's well-being by working collaboratively with community partners to increase prevention efforts, address social determinants of health, and improve access to care.

The Community Health Needs Assessment

Heywood Healthcare’s 2024-2026 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a collaborative effort with UMass Memorial Health—HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital and our community partners. Together, we aim to evaluate acute and chronic health conditions, address health-related social needs in North Central Massachusetts, and guide our collective efforts toward community health improvement planning, resource allocation, and strategy development. Our ultimate goal is to enhance the health and well-being of all residents in the region, and your participation is crucial in achieving this.

The CHNA process synthesized statistics from secondary sources like the US Census Bureau, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the participating hospital systems with qualitative information gathered through other community reports and Focus Groups of stakeholders from across the hospitals’ service areas. The Health Equity Partnership of North Central MA/CHNA 9 and Three Pyramids/ Minority Coalition of North Central MA were instrumental in shaping the framework of our focus groups and ensuring the inclusivity and relevance of our approach, as well as holding us accountable for a process and output that centers local voices. Partners conducted 18 Focus Groups with efforts to gather insights from a diverse group of community members geographically and socio-demographically.

Community Health Improvement Plan

The CHNA provides the foundation for developing a three-year Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and informs the allocation of community benefit resources. Throughout the CHNA process, we examined Health-Related Social Needs (or Social Determinants of Health) and their influence on health disparities and health equity. This thorough, integrative process led us to identify specific “areas of focus” and “priority populations” for the hospitals to address through their Community Benefits work.
The CHNA revealed three priority areas for the hospitals to guide our efforts around health improvement and equity: 1. Equitable Access to Care, addressing workforce, transportation, and language and race barriers; 2. Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) emphasizing financial and employment stability as well as structural racism and systemic inequities; 3. Nutrition-related chronic conditions focusing on food insecurity and equitable healthy food systems; 4. Mental Health and Substance Use strategies improving access to treatment, support, and prevention; 5. Maternal Health includes strengthening the health system infrastructure, expanding workforce capacity, and improving prenatal and perinatal resources to enhance equitable access to high-quality, culturally competent maternal health care.

Heywood Healthcare community benefit aims to focus community efforts on addressing the needs of underserved populations, including black, Indigenous, people of color; low-income individuals and families; birthing people; infants, children, and adolescents; adults aged 75 years and older; veterans; people with disabilities; individuals and families who are homeless; individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+; recent immigrants; and non-English speakers. In addition, we are committed to enhancing community health, addressing health disparities, and achieving health equity through the lens of structural racism and systemic inequities.

Community Benefit’s Advisory Committee

Heywood’s Community Benefit program is undertaken with partners and collaborators. The Community Benefit Advisory Committee (CBAC) provides input to hospital leadership when undertaking the Community Health Needs Assessment, designing the Community Benefits Mission Statement, developing and evaluating the Implementation Strategy, and regarding allocation of resources. The CBAC consists of patients, community members, and individuals from organizations that provide services to the CHIP’s target population and focus health areas.

 

Community Benefit Reports