Community

FOREWORD
This health assessment provides us with a snapshot of Fairfield County, as well as our state and
nation. The data presented in this report provides valuable information to develop strategies
that focus on wellness, access to care, and unmet community needs. The assessment will
provide additional insight in the areas of health and well-being and how they relate to our
community structure.
The Fairfield County Health Assessment is being conducted for the third time. It complies with
Healthcare Reform requirements and really provides good insight to develop future healthcare
programming.
Through collaboration with The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio and public health researchers
at The University of Toledo, every effort has been made to assure that this report contains valid
and reliable data. Various efforts have been made in the past to identify and assess the many
varied health care needs of Fairfield County residents. These have been either focused studies
involving one or a few issues, or have been initial efforts that used no standardized format and
had no follow-through on the findings and recommendations. This study was developed in
collaboration with area agencies and payors who can impact change in the health status of
our county.
This study will be different. The partners, the health care leaders of Fairfield County, have made
various commitments in order to ensure the success of this effort:
1. The assessment will not “sit on a shelf.” The identified priorities and recommendations will
be followed up and acted on.
2. The assessment will not be done in a vacuum. In order to be successful, any and all
stakeholders will need to be involved in current and future efforts. Every agency dealing
in some aspect of health care in Fairfield County needs to be “at the table” and offering
their particular areas of expertise and experience. The concept of “health care” is so
broad that it cannot be the sole responsibility of any one agency. There can be no
“silos” in these efforts or there will be no success.
3. The assessment will continue to be repeated on a regular basis and data and results will
be trended so that yearly results can be compared. This will ensure that benchmarking
can occur and improvements (or degradation) in services as noted.
4. The assessment will be flexible. As additional unmet needs are identified, or existing
needs are met, the study itself must evolve to remain a meaningful and workable
instrument for health planning in Fairfield County.
It is the hope of the Fairfield County Health Partners that this assessment will be a valuable tool to
assist in efforts to improve the health and well-being of Fairfield County residents. It is also the
hope that this assessment will foster new collaborative opportunities and initiate quality
programs to improve the lives of Fairfield County residents.
FOREWORD
Sincerely,
John R. Janoso, Jr
President and CEO
Fairfield Medical Center
Larry Hanna
Administrator
Fairfield County General
Health District
Lisa Evangelista
CEO
Fairfield Community
Health Center