OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg is seeking public input about what services need to be addressed in Knox and Warren Counties.
The hospital is conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment to accomplish the task. People interested in taking the survey can pick up a copy at the hospital’s main lobby.
Chief Financial Officer Curt Lipe said the survey results can help the hospital learn what services people feel are lacking in the two counties.
“We may discovering something that was a need that we didn’t recognize was a significant need. And because of that, we might bring it forward and try and do more, either by ourselves or in partnership with somebody else to meet that need,” Lipe said.
Lipe said the survey asks 15-to-20 questions about accessibility, affordability, lifestyles, and more.
He said around 400 responses were generated from the last survey in 2013, and the results led to changes and additions in services.
“We’ve changed the hours of some of our practices, to try and be more accommodating to people. We’ve always had our financial assistance policies here. We’re not going to deny care to anybody based on their ability to pay. So a little more awareness of what those policies are,” Lipe said.
Lipe said educational programs about chronic illnesses were also added because of the survey results.
The hospital set a deadline of September 30 for anyone who wants to complete the survey.
