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THE SEVENTH ANNUAL
Samaritan Community Health
Fair and Low-Cost Blood Draw was an overwhelming
success this year. The door opened at 7 a.m. to a crowd
of early risers awaiting the low-cost blood screening and
information booths.
Samaritan volunteers greeted community members as
they arrived and directed them to the screening areas and
booths. Most individuals started their wellness journey
at the blood draw station, where more volunteers helped
them fill out the necessary paperwork and Samaritan labo-
ratory staff drew blood samples for their low-cost panels.
Everyone was offered a cup of hot coffee or a glass of juice
and a breakfast pastry before moving on to participate in
other health activities and screenings.
The booths set up throughout Samaritan Clinic were
kept busy with approximately 300 people attending. In-
formation was given on nutrition and wellness, blood
donations, foot health, breast health, and many other
topics. Participation was high at the free screening booths,
which included bone density, body composition, blood
pressure, back and neck, and diabetes.
It is exciting to see so many people return year after
year to compare their screenings and measure improve-
ments. Seeing so many people getting involved in their
own health and being proactive makes this event so
worthwhile to Samaritan staff and volunteers as we live
our mission and vision: “All of us, for each of you, every
time. Together, inspiring healthy communities.”
STEPPING RIGHT UP:
Community
members take advantage of the
low-cost blood draw and free health
screenings provided by Samaritan
Healthcare.
INSPIRING A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
A HEALTHIER FUTURE
IN EARLY 2014,
a group of local health care organiza-
tions in Moses Lake began meeting to discuss how they
could collectively improve the health of the residents
of the Columbia Basin. Working together, this diverse
group formed a collaborative health partnership orga-
nization that works to make measurable and sustainable
improvements in the health status of the Columbia Basin
communities.
The Columbia Basin Community Partnership for
Health is composed of members from Samaritan Health-
care, Confluence Health, Moses Lake Community Health
Center and Grant County Health District. Using informa-
tion collected from the Grant County Community Health
Assessment, the group narrowed their focus for the first
community initiative: reducing childhood obesity.
Data was pulled from Samaritan Clinic, Confluence
Health and Moses Lake Community Health Center, and
the following criteria were used:
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Children ages 2 to 5.
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Living in the greater Moses Lake area.
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Seen by a provider from one of the three health facili-
ties between February 2014 and February 2015.
It was determined that:
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10 percent of the children were obese.
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18 percent were overweight.
This data became the baseline for what has now been
named the Healthy Beginnings Initiative. The group set
the goal for the initiative as a 10 percent reduction in
childhood obesity by May 2020.
A kickoff event was held on May 5, 2015, and was at-
tended by providers and nursing staff from all four facili-
ties. Over 65 attendees came together to learn about the
initiative and how they would directly affect the outcome.
Speakers included Jill A. Dudik-Bross, MD, FAAP, and Jeff
Ketchell, Grant County Health District. A clinical demon-
stration was given on the proper way to measure height
and weight so clinical data collection will be consistent
with all four health organizations.
Now that a baseline has been set, the group will con-
tinue to design and implement community and clinical
interventions toward achieving this goal. By working
together and through various health initiatives that in-
clude education, prevention and health care access, the
Columbia Basin Community Partnership for Health group
will help make a difference in the communities in which
we live, work and play.
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION:
The Columbia Basin
Community Partnership for Health group looks forward
to making a difference in the communities in which we
live, work and play.
S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
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S A M A R I T A N