Achieving a robust and meaningful community health needs assessment

Mercy Care fills a great need in Atlanta as the only FQHC with a Healthcare for the Homeless designation. Out of the 11,965 clients served in 2014, 66% were experiencing homelessness and 93% were uninsured. Building off quantitative secondary data collected during the Point-in-Time count, Mercy Care embarked on a process to collect meaningful data in order to accurately understand the needs of our population. The 2015 needs assessment was a unique project, incorporating feedback from clients, community partners, and Mercy Care staff members. Survey tools tailored to each group of respondents included items that were comparable across the three groups, making it possible to determine the perception of need by each group and compare it to health records and secondary data collected by other providers of services to those experiencing homelessness. Care was taken to ensure all clients were represented, with feedback gathered via an online survey, paper survey in fixed-site clinics and mobile medical coaches, consumer focus groups, and guided surveys to help overcome literacy barriers. Mercy Care seeks to continue to build on this and integrate our findings with other providers in the area, acting as a "champion" for the data collected. This needs assessment is being used as a tool to inform strategic planning, influence agency policy changes, and the educate staff and partners. Mercy Care has used this assessment to evaluate current strengths and weaknesses and plan strategically to meet the needs identified, including expansion of services or support for new funding sources.