Alice Yoder, RN, MSN, Lancaster General’s Director of Community Health, believes prevention programs should be a top priority for every health system.

“Right now healthcare is centered on individuals who are sick and using measures to make them better. What if we could begin with people who are well and use measures to keep them that way?” she asked.

This wellness approach is at the core of work conducted by Lancaster General’s Mission and Community Benefit Committee. Comprised of 11 community members, the committee is charged with increasing the availability and access of health and wellness programs at all stages of life.

Using hospital and community data as well as national reports such as Healthy People 2010, the committee adopted four key health priorities for our community in January 2007:

• Increase access to healthcare
• Reduce obesity rates
• Reduce the use of tobacco
• Reduce domestic violence

Adopted key health priorities must impact a high percentage of community members and require dedicated resources from Lancaster General and others in the community to effectively address them. Efforts to reduce one or more of the top ten causes of death in Lancaster County are also priorities.

For each priority, the Mission and Community Benefit Committee supports a variety of initiatives tailored to people at different ages and stages of life, as well as within different cultures. The Committee initiatives reflect the many places where people can be reached: work, home, school, in their faith community, doctor’s offices and the community at large.

“To effectively achieve long-term, sustainable improvements in community health, we collaborate with a wide variety of individuals and organizations. Lancaster General develops new strategies and supports existing, effective programs in key health priority areas,” said Alexander Henderson, III, Esq., Chairman, Mission and Community Benefit Committee.

Yoder said just as these health priorities were selected based on data, ongoing research helps the committee determine the effectiveness of their efforts. We measure program and broad community outcomes to track the effectiveness of our efforts, and will continue with combinations of initiatives aimed at addressing these primary health concerns until research shows progress. Then with our community partners, we will move on to tackle additional health priorities.