Community health plan taking shape

FINDLAY — Internet access, transportation to medical appointments and education about health insurance are the anticipated priorities in an upcoming Community Health Plan for Hancock County. The plan, to guide agencies in 2026 through 2028, is the result of surveys and assessments by a variety of agencies, led by Hancock Public Health, Health Commissioner Lindsay Summit said. The priorities of the new plan, expected to be completed by late March, will likely be the same as the existing plan which extends through this year, she said. Because a new Community Health Plan is issued every three years, as required by the Public Health Accreditation Board, priorities generally change little from one plan to the next, Summit said. It takes a longer period, say nine years or so, to see significant changes. What has been shown in the surveys and assessments, which are the raw material used to set the plans, is Hancock County's overall health is improving, Summit said. But there is room for still more improvement. Too many people lack access to health care, but not for a lack of providers or a medical facility nearby, she said. "I think we need to look at a broader picture. It might be, maybe, 'I don't have transportation to get to that facility.' It might be 'I don't have a job, so I don't have health care, which then prevents me from getting access to health care,'" Summit said. "So we're taking a look at all of those things. It's obviously a much larger picture that we need to be looking at." Much of what will need to be done is educating people. One example is making people aware of when enrollment is open for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, she said. Improving internet access in the more remote rural parts of the county also will be important, she said. "So many things are at telemed now, doing doctor visits that way," Summit said. "And if you're living in those rural townships that don't have good quality internet, they're losing out on a potential opportunity to do that telemed." "So many people are using it for, I'll say, the sore throat, the common cold thing," she said. "It can also be used for mental health services." Telemedicine can be particularly effective in getting mental health help to people who fear being judged. "Sometimes people might realize, 'Yes, I need help and I want help,' but there is still that 'I don't want someone to see me maybe going somewhere," Summit said. "So they may be more comfortable doing it in their home. But if they don't have the internet capability or the resources to do it, then that's a missed opportunity."