Food Insecurity

Mixed messaging and misinformation about COVID eroded public trust in health care and public health entities.

Community Comments

• “COVID was a messaging failure, communication broke down between professionals and lay individuals.”

• “People were stigmatized for masking, their vaccination status, if they socialized in groups.”

• “Public health has been so stigmatized. Moving forward will require the seperation of public health and politics.”

Community Insights

• Pandemic communication to older adults was perceived as lacking dignity. “We need a balance of talking with at-risk populations while still fostering autonomy.”

• West Virginia residents overall were seen as more likely to adhere to COVID-19 safety recommendations due to statewide leadership and local efforts “The Governor was plain spoken and relatable versus national guidelines” This feedback can inform ongoing pandemic communication and other public health messaging post-pandemic.

The pandemic exacerbated economic disparities and social service agencies are struggling to meet increased demand.

Community Comments

• “At the onset, there were options (stimulus, school lunch pickup). We saw fewer people coming to the food pantry because they had income. When that went away, it was a sea of people coming in.”

• “Even with stimulus, there was still need. It did not address poverty, particularly given infl ation and rising costs and loss of child tax credits.” • “Prior to the pandemic, we (Huntington City Mission) served 116,000 meals. In 2021, we served 185,000 meals. We’re on track to serve 220,000 meals in 2022.”

• “The number of homeless in the community has doubled in the last year.”

• “The top needs we’re seeing are rental, mortgage, and utility assistance. The problem now is responding; programs are running out of money.”

• “We have people who ride their lawn mower to the food pantry because they don’t have transportation.”

Community Insights

• Education on insurance-covered services (e.g., caregiver housing for hospitalized Medicare patients, transportation) is needed.

• Volunteering fell sharply in the pandemic, creating fi nancial burden for the organizations that have long depended on them.

EVALUATION OF HEALTH IMPACT:

2019-2022 COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN PROGRESS

How do we create a culture of health in our communities? MHN hospitals identifi ed and prioritized signifi cant community health needs in 2019 to guide community benefi t and population health improvement activities across our service area. The plan built upon earlier successes and led to the development of goals and objectives to address behavioral health and substance use disorder, including Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and chronic disease prevention and management, with a focus on diabetes, heart disease and tobacco use/lung disease.

Within six months of the release of the Implementation Plan, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the priorities of our community and MHN adapted our work to respond to the emergent needs of residents.

Prior to the pandemic, MHN hospitals participated in health fairs throughout the service area. These events provided free fl u shots and free screenings for health issues, such as cholesterol, blood sugar, diabetic foot screenings, and osteoporosis. Education about stroke, joint replacement surgery, and risk factors for diabetes and other health issues was also provided. These services often targeted the senior population.

The following sections outline our work to impact the priority health needs and respond to COVID-19 in our communities.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The fi rst case of COVID-19 was confi rmed in the United States on Jan. 21, 2020, with West Virginia reporting its fi rst case March 17, 2020. Despite the challenges of the unknown, MHN and its hospitals were able to provide a robust response to the pandemic, working in partnership with other key community agencies.

Communication

MHN Communications quickly established the health system as a trusted resource for accurate,up-to-date information on COVID-19. MHN shared important facts about the disease through advertising, social media and a dedicated COVID-19 website.

MHN also joined the Cabell-Huntington Health Department (CHHD), Cabell County EMS, the City of Huntington, Marshall University, and Cabell County Schools to form a Joint Information Center to share information about how COVID-19 was affecting the respective entities and to jointly handle media requests.

MHN admitted its fi rst COVID+ patient at CHH on March 20, 2020, but the system had already taken several steps to prepare in order to keep patients, visitors, and staff safer. Visitation guidelines were changed to refl ect changes in community spread, public entrances were reduced and manned by COVID screeners, and construction updates were made to better isolate COVID+ patients. MHN made additional physical changes to adjust to fl uctuations in community spread throughout the pandemic.