PHOTO BY GARRY BRANDENBURG UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown South Medical Park 55 Central Iowa Dr., opened August 2015. The state-of-the art facility serves hundreds of Central Iowans weekly. UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown continues to own and manage a downtown campus complete with 49-bed hospital, an emergency room, lab, and other services.

In an effort to best serve patients in its multi-county service area, UnityPoint Health- Marshalltown hospital is asking residents to identify community health needs with a new online CHNA survey.

With facilities in Grundy, Tama and Marshall counties, UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown is like many not-for profit hospitals nationwide who conduct and publish health needs surveys every three years.

The surveys help hospitals assess and prioritize clinical services.

Participants identify health needs of their communities, families and themselves. Hospitals then develop and publish action plans based on participants’ answers and report results to regulatory agencies and public.

The 2019 Marshalltown-area online survey asks 36 multiple-choice questions. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Participation and responses are anonymous.

Results will be published on the UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown hospital website in December.

A similar survey was conducted and published in 2013 and 2016, when the hospital was known as Central Iowa Health Care.

The 2016 survey identified 18 areas of concern as health needs or challenges.

Identified priorities from the 2016 survey were:

• Overweight and obesity, which underlies many chronic diseases

• Behavioral health

• Mental health

• Substance abuse

UnityPoint Health-Waterloo purchased CIH assess in 2017 for $11.7 million.

Consequently, on May 1, 2017, the hospital became known as UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown.

It offers services to nearly 60,000 Central Iowans who depend on the 49-bed hospital and clinics in Conrad, Marshalltown, State Center and Tama-Toledo.

UnityPoint Health owns Marshalltown’s four-year old Medical Park near the intersection of Highway 14 and U.S. Highway 30 and others in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The survey is open from September 17 to October 31, 2019 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VRTNQ6Y.

Residents can also find a link to the survey on the hospital’s homepage at www.unitypoint.org/marshalltown.

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Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@timesrepublican.com

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