Residents of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties are being called upon to assist in the study of health in area communities through a telephone survey co-sponsored by five area health providers and three county health departments.
Beginning in mid-October, 500 randomly selected households in each county will be called at their home telephone number to participate in an anonymous, confidential 10-15 minute-long health assessment survey.
Participants will be asked an array of questions, ranging from access to healthcare and health risk behaviors (such as smoking, alcohol and drugs); exercise habits, and various medical conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease or stroke).
Five area hospitals — Cooper University Health Care, Kennedy University Hospital, Lourdes Health System, Underwood-Memorial Hospital, and Virtua – and the Health Departments of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties, have partnered with Holleran, a national research firm that will conduct the surveys and compile the results.
For those receiving phone calls, the number for Holleran may show up as a 717 area code on caller ID. If a randomly selected resident is unavailable at the time of the call, several attempts will be made to reach them. Additionally, residents can schedule a more convenient time to take the survey, and anyone who resides in the three counties can also call 1-800-218-6468 to participate.
“Obtaining information directly from residents ensures that hospitals and health departments have representation from the whole community and helps pinpoint where to direct resources and measure our existing efforts,” notes Marcia M. Sass, ScD, assistant professor and senior evaluator for the New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey.
The hospitals are conducting the telephone surveys as one part of the community health needs assessment, that also includes focus groups and interviews with community leaders. As part of the federal healthcare reform law, not-for-profit hospitals with tax-exempt status are required to conduct an official community health needs assessment every three years. The County Health Departments are required to conduct a community needs assessment as part of their accreditation process.