Hospital’s ‘town hall’ meeting to foster information exchange, seek community input

All community members are invited to attend Melissa Memorial Hospital’s annual town hall meeting, to be held Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m. Participants can attend the in-person meeting in Holyoke at the hospital, 1001 E. Johnson St., or remote on Facebook Live.

Participants will hear about the progress made on the strategies for 2022-2024 that were adopted to address priorities identified in the hospital’s latest community health needs assessment. The priority areas are community engagement, mental health (including substance abuse) and aging services. An example of progress being made is a recently awarded Integrated Behavioral Health grant that will support the hiring of a licensed social worker. Information will also be shared about the Alternatives to Opioids program. Participants can discuss where more attention may be needed within those priorities or other areas before the next community needs assessment is issued.

Karen Hooker, the hospital’s quality improvement coordinator, will moderate the meeting. She says, “We intend to keep the presentation short so the majority of the time is devoted to hearing the voice of the community. We need the community to help us identify what they see as priorities.” 

Other hospital staff participating in the dialogue are Michael Hassell, CEO; Dr. JD Bailey II, MD; and Kim Probus, interim chief nursing officer.

“We take input from the community very seriously,” says Hassell. Those words are backed up with concrete examples of how the hospital has implemented strategies in response to needs brought forward by the community. 

He explained, “Even though we’re not delivering babies, we can still help mothers prepare in advance of the delivery.” An arrangement was made with a prenatal care group from Sterling that supplies a provider to see expectant mothers in Holyoke on Mondays. 

He adds, “We know barriers to transportation exist.” The hospital now has a non-emergent vehicle to transport patrons to and from the hospital. The vehicle can also be used to deliver medication from MMH Hometown Pharmacy. 

He continued, “People have wondered about what more could be done for veterans.” Veterans can still drop by the hospital’s cafeteria for a free breakfast on Wednesday mornings anytime between 8 a.m. to noon. The county’s veteran’s services officer, Jeremy Kilpatrick, is always on hand so veterans can learn how to take advantage of available services should they have any current or future needs.

With an eye toward a holistic approach to wellbeing where medical, mental and social health overlap, the hospital has created a comprehensive guide to community service providers and organizations. Says Hooker, “The guide can help bridge the community to resources. We’re so excited about being able to distribute copies at the town hall meeting.” Door prizes will be given out, too. 

For more information about the community health needs assessment, results of the survey and related implementation strategies can be viewed at and/or downloaded from https://melissamemorial.org/community-health-needs-assessment/.