Powell Valley Healthcare is teaming up with other healthcare organizations in the area to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment. Preliminary results from a part of the work indicate that the cost of healthcare is a primary concern for most people in the community.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act required healthcare providers to do an assessment every four years in order to maintain their tax-exempt status. The report, which will be completed by November, identifies gaps in care within the community.

This year, PVHC is working with Cody Regional Health, Heritage Health Center and Park County Public Health on the work.

“We’re doing a collaborate health needs assessment,” Jim Cannon, who handles community relations and marketing for PVHC, told the organization’s board of trustees last week.

Cannon presented the results to date of a survey that will be included in the assessment. The poll of 313 community members showed that 74 percent of respondents — who were mostly in the Powell area and mostly women — identifed cost as one of the most important problems regarding healthcare in the community.

Lack of mental healthcare services was identified by 66 percent as a significant problem, which came up in a number of survey questions.

“Definitely mental health was a big topic on this survey,” Cannon said.

Other top problems identified in the survey were the need for cardiology and diabetes services, lack of access to specialists and availability of primary care physicians.

Though the lack of access to specialists and primary care phyicians were considered big problems, nearly 86 percent of the respondents said they have good access to healthcare servcies in the community. Comments on the question did note the inconvenience of having to go out of town for specialized care services.

When it came to a question about barriers preventing people from accessing healthcare services, costs were again first, with 52 percent identifying it as their primary concern. Insurance, transportation and access to doctors were also in the top positions.

Nearly 75 percent of the respondents said they were able to get their healthcare needs met in the Big Horn Basin — and more than 86 percent said healthcare has somewhat or significantly improved in the past three years, largely owing to easier access to providers.

“That’s good to know,” Cannon said.

Other questions about where focus needs to be in order to improve services and where the greatest weaknesses lie also cited costs.

“They hit it on every question, and it’s a nationwide issue,” Cannon said.

The 2016 CHNA survey didn’t ask specifically about costs, but it did ask about impacts of lack of insurance, which was a significant concern for the respondents.

Cannon said the final report, when it comes out in November, will help guide the board and hospital administration as they look to address the community’s health needs.