Assessment identifies 3 priorities for hospital

Every two to three years, Melissa Memorial Hospital conducts a community health needs assessment, and the survey filled out by community members this spring identified three priorities for MMH to focus on this year.

The hospital announced those priorities and solicited additional input from the community at a town hall meeting Wednesday, June 8, at the Peerless Theatre in Holyoke.

The three priorities for 2022 were mental health, aging services and community health care awareness.

Interim MMH CEO Stella Worley asked attendees to help the hospital know what it can do and help MMH work toward its goals.

In addition to Worley, town hall panelists included Chief Financial Officer David Applewood, family nurse practitioner Jessica Skomp, Dr. J.D. Bailey and clinic manager Jayden Miracle.

Mental health

One priority that was a repeat from the 2019 community health needs assessment was mental health.

Topics that fell in this category included social connections, access to providers, stigma and substance abuse.

“Not all of us understand it, but it’s very serious,” said Terry Hofmeister, a Phillips County commissioner and a member of the Centennial Mental Health Center board.

“It’s not only the youth,” he said. “It’s our veterans. It’s our elderly. It’s our farmers.” Hofmeister pointed out that stigma is a big deal in the area of mental health.

Sarah Bornhoft commented that she’d like to see more focus on breaking the stigma. She’d also like to see more options for patients who may not need an emergency room visit but who still need medical attention for mental health issues.

Miracle said that Centennial Mental Health Center is a great partner with MMH, and there are some in-house options in Holyoke for mental health.

As a former registered nurse, Naomi Newman said that many times the patient can’t wait until a certain day of the week to receive help. She said that MMH is a critical access hospital. “Critical access — if we can just remember that.”

“Get them help now,” said Newman. “Package them up and get them there.”

Bailey said, “We aren’t going to leave them alone,” noting that MMH will come alongside patients to get them the help they need.

He also pointed out that “there’s not enough mental health beds and there’s not enough mental health providers” in general.

Aging services

MMH’s second priority for 2022 is aging services, which encompasses meals, transitional housing, activities, home health, pre-nursing home services and transportation.

Kathi Stanley commented that as a caretaker for her parents, she found out the hard way that it’s very difficult to research and find home health care services in Holyoke.

She suggested that MMH offer patients and their caregivers a resource guide to help them transition to home health care after leaving the hospital.

Another idea offered at the town hall was to compile a list of volunteers who would be available locally to give caretakers a break a couple times a week.

Community health care awareness

The third priority that was identified by the survey was community health care awareness. This includes the topics of veterans services, available programs/services, testimonies, patient financial counseling, community involvement, care delay and how to access care.

Jeremy Kilpatrick, Phillips County veterans service officer, said that in regard to veterans and especially aging veterans, it’s very important to offer opportunities for social connections and to get them out and about.

It was also mentioned that Holyoke needs more assisted living options.