Community Needs and Improvements

St. Peter’s is committed to making a positive impact on the health of the community it serves. As part of this commitment, we employ a range of strategies—one of which is identifying and addressing the unique health needs of local residents.

Community Health Improvement process

In Fiscal Year 2025, St. Peter’s conducted a collaborative Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) with partners in the Healthy Together Steering Committee and Task Force. This report was then utilized to guide the St. Peter’s Health Implementation Strategy and as a resource for the broader collaborative community health improvement plan (CHIP).

The goals of these processes are to:

To improve residents’ health status, increase their life spans, and elevate their overall quality of life. A healthy community is not only one where its residents suffer little from physical and mental illness, but also one where its residents enjoy a high quality of life.
To reduce the health disparities among residents. By gathering demographic information along with health status and behavior data, it will be possible to identify population segments that are most at-risk for various diseases and injuries. Intervention plans aimed at targeting these individuals may then be developed to combat some of the socio-economic factors that have historically had a negative impact on residents’ health.
To increase accessibility to preventive services for all community residents. More accessible preventive services will prove beneficial in accomplishing the first goal (improving health status, increasing life spans and elevating the quality of life), as well as lowering the costs associated with caring for late-stage diseases resulting from a lack of preventive care.

It is a two-part process:

Collaborative Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
- This cycle, St. Peter's participated in a unified, collaborative Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) led by the Healthy Together Steering Committee for Lewis and Clark County and the broader Greater Service Area. Using the CASPAR model, the process brought together hospitals, public health agencies, nonprofits, and other partners to ensure a comprehensive and community-centered approach.
- The CHNA included three core components: a community survey, key informant interviews, and a secondary data analysis. Together, these tools captured both quantitative trends and personal experiences, offering a full picture of our service area's most pressing health needs. The process was built on shared leadership, broad engagement, and a commitment to data-informed decision-making.
Resulting Plans: St. Peter's Implementation Strategy and the Community's CHIP
- The findings from the CHNA serve as the foundation for two distinct but connected action plans:
  - First, St. Peter's uses the CHNA to develop its own Implementation Strategy—a system-specific, measurable plan focused on the greatest health needs within our service area. This strategy guides how we invest our resources, shape services, and partner to improve community health.
  - Second, the Healthy Together Steering Committee uses the CHNA to create the county-wide Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). This public-facing plan outlines shared priorities and collaborative strategies across organizations, aiming to drive lasting improvements in health and well-being for all residents of Lewis and Clark County.
- Together, these plans ensure that our efforts—both as a health system and as a community—are coordinated, strategic, and focused on what matters most.

*The St. Peter’s Health Board of Directors approved the CHNA Findings and Implementation Strategy Draft as presented on April 1, 2025.

If you'd like to request a print copy of the Community Health Needs Assessment, please email hwisemiller@sphealth.org.