Essentia Health partners with local groups to identify community health needs and drive improvements in Graceville

Essentia Health's mission is to make a healthy difference in people's lives, and that work extends beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics.

Just like patients, each community has unique needs. To determine priorities, Essentia conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years in each community that is home to one of its 14 hospitals. Town hall meetings, focus groups and surveys are among the ways Essentia collects information on what is important to people and what gaps we can help to address.

Graceville is one of the 14 communities surveyed by Essentia.

Our most recent CHNA identified the following needs for the Essentia Health-Holy Trinity Hospital (Graceville) service area:

• Social drivers of health: Essentia plans to operate a Community Health Worker Program, administer a community resource directory called "Resourceful" and support organizations through a Community Grants program.
• Nutrition and physical activity: Essentia plans to promote healthy eating and active living through community-based initiatives including expanding access to nutrition education, providing opportunities for physical activity and creating partnerships with local organizations to increase resources and support for healthy lifestyle choices.
• Childcare: Essentia plans to expand childcare access for families by building partnerships with community stakeholders and supporting initiatives that increase the availability of infant and early childhood care options.

"The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has been a very welcome addition to our community. We have had an increase in the use of our library services and programs, and we have had wonderful feedback from the families that have joined the Dolly Parton Imagination Library," said Jill Johnsrud, from Friends of the Library. "From our post survey, we can see that they all recommend signing up children for this service and that their kids look forward to their monthly books. Many parents are saying that their child's enthusiasm for books has increased since receiving the Imagination Library books. Also, many parents have said that they have increased their reading time to their children since getting the Imagination Library books. We are very excited to be able to offer this resource to our community, and we are very thankful to Essentia for assisting us in helping us to provide this educational resource to the children in our community."

The key to gathering accurate data is to get input from a wide range of community members, particularly those who are medically underserved and those in minority groups. The information helps health systems decide how to make the greatest impact and which areas to focus on.

For example, after our last CHNA in 2022, we focused on the following priority areas for this service area:

• Mental Health: Essentia supported mental health through a partnership with the Friends of the Graceville Public Library, providing free monthly books to young children in the Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley school district. It also launched a two-year partnership with the Wahpeton Public School District to promote youth mental health by offering education, resources and activities that encourage healthy lifestyles and physical activity. This collaboration strengthens both mental well-being and community wellness efforts.
• Physical activity: Essentia supported local communities by sponsoring the purchase of an industrial washing machine for Wahpeton High School, ensuring students have access to clean clothing and uniforms for physical activities. It also partnered with the City of Graceville to install a frisbee golf course, providing equipment and signage to promote equitable community use.
• Resourceful: Resourceful is a publicly available community resource directory, designed to connect individuals with free and reduced-cost services. Since its launch in 2021 more than 4,500 programs have been added to the resource directory and over 32,000 individuals have used the directory. Resourceful has facilitated more than 25,000 referrals to community-based organizations.

"At Essentia, our commitment to the communities we serve is at the heart of everything we do," said Emily Kuenstler, Essentia's community health director. "We believe that true health care extends far beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics — it's about partnering with local organizations, listening to diverse voices and addressing the unique needs that impact well-being every day. By conducting regular Community Health Needs Assessments and investing in programs that promote nutrition, physical activity and access to resources, we're dedicated to making a lasting, positive difference in people's lives."