Member of the Month: Sedgwick County Health Center
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Julesburg, CO located in the most northeast corner of Colorado is the first town in our state to greet travelers heading west to the Rocky Mountains. With a population of 2,341, it is a small town, but is the hub of the healthcare community for the county. Sedgwick County Health Center is the umbrella organization for five distinct business lines: Sedgwick County Memorial Hospital (25-bed Critical Access Hospital), Sedgwick County Memorial Nursing Home, Valley Medical Clinic (Rural Health Clinic), Jacob J. and Anne B. Walter Memorial Living Center, and Valley Medical Clinic in Big Springs, NE. This health center is the largest employer in the county and works closely with its community to provide quality and compassionate healthcare to its residents.
Sedgwick County Health Center participated in many innovative and exciting programs with Colorado Rural Health Center this past year! Some highlights of their activities include two Healthy Clinic Assessments where their overall score improved from 87% to 96% – a huge accomplishment! Both the hospital and clinic are participating in iCare, Improving Communication and Readmission and have completed a process mapping as part of this project.
“We are using the iCARE diabetic collaborative as not just a gathering of information but to make a definite change for a diabetic patients to improve their overall care.” Deb Nail, Clinic/Business Office Manager
In 2012, Sedgwick hospital and the community of Julesburg participated in a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). A CHNA uses data sets to identify needs within the community. Community stakeholders identify issues they feel are important and develop solutions in which they want to participate. Key positive findings of Sedgwick County’s CHNA are:
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Up to 20% of the health center’s patient population come from outside of Sedgwick County
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Between 2012 and 2017 it is predicted that there will be a 11.91% increase in population of individuals ranging in age from 65-74
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Sedgwick County ranks in the top 25 counties for overall health in Colorado
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Sedgwick County ranks 1 in Colorado for least amount of tobacco use, 1 in best environmental quality and 7 in lowest unemployment rate.
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Violent crimes were at a rate of 1.8 per 1,000 people between 2007-2009 compared to 3.5 in Colorado overall
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Between 2006 and 2010, Julesburg had a population of 10% of people who smoked. Healthy People 2020’s goal is at 12% and Colorado has a percentage of 17.2.
If you are interested in learning more about Sedgwick County Health Center, click here to visit their website. Sedgwick County Health Center is a close collaborator and has been a Colorado Rural Health Center Member for nearly 10 years. We thank them for their support and continue to work closely with this amazing health center and community.
