Hello again.

Just call me Mark Martin or Brett Favre....just can't stay retired from the blog. There is still some stuff that I'd like to post related to DRMC, so you may see me here from time to time. To those of you that are still inside at DRMC, I'll count on you for the most up-to-date info about how things are inside the four walls.

Anyway...back to the reason of my post...the Danville Regional Foundation just released its regional healthcare assessment (this is the first of three major assessments the DRF is undertaking. The others are economic revitalization and educational attainment). Here is a link to the full report:
http://www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org/region/documents/2008-HealthAssessment.pdf

One question that comes to mind...it was the mission of DRMC back 'in the day' to provide community outreach to address some of the issues identified in this study. Where does any of that fit into the mission of a for-profit?

Here is the Register & Bee article:
"Health assessment study shows region’s needs"
Danville Register & Bee - August 12, 2008

The numbers are in and indicate that health care across the Dan River Region needs to be improved.
The Danville Regional Foundation ordered a health assessment study done so it could determine what health issues in the region needed its attention the most. The foundation also will be studying the education and economic development needs of Danville, Pittsylvania County and Caswell County, N.C.
The health assessment was developed by MDC Inc., of Chapel Hill, N.C., and implemented by researchers from East Tennessee State University, who interviewed hundreds of residents, community leaders and heath providers to make the assessment.
Some of the more alarming statistics show that parts of the region have much higher percentages of certain medical conditions and diseases than the national average.
From 1999-2003, Danville had 154.4 incidences of breast cancer per 100,000 people, compared to Virginia’s overall average of 122.6 and the national average of 125.3. Pittsylvania County, however, came in much lower than state and national averages, at 100.7, and while North Carolina came in above the national average at 147.3, Caswell County came in at 106.5.
Deaths from heart disease in 2004 were higher in all three areas compared to state and national averages. The rate per 100,000 nationally was 163.4. Though Virginia came in at 124.9 overall; in Pittsylvania County, the rate was 186.1 and in Danville, the number jumped to 281.9. North Carolina also was below the national average at 146.1, but Caswell County came in at 199.
Diabetes and strokes had similar results. Lung cancer numbers, however, showed Danville at well above the national and state averages, while Pittsylvania and Caswell counties came in well below.
Birth rates also were studied and showed the region had more births to unwed mothers than state and local averages, and that low birth weights were higher than the state and national averages. The study also showed that Danville mothers were almost 10 times as likely to have late or no prenatal care — the national rate was 3.6 in 2004, while in Danville the rate was 33. Virginia overall came in at 15 percent, while Pittsylvania County’s rate was 16, and in North Carolina, the rate in 2005 was 15.9, with Caswell County coming in at 17.
Infant mortality rates were similar.
The national average was 6.9 per 1,000 births. In 2005, Virginia’s rate was 7.4, Danville’s 15.4 and Pittsylvania County’s 10.5. In North Carolina, the 2003 rate was 8.2 and Caswell County’s was 8.1.
“There are other parts of the world we don’t want to compare ourselves to with similar (infant mortality rate) numbers,” Karl Stauber, director of the foundation, said Monday.
Stauber said the foundation is studying the report to determine which areas it can “take a leadership role” in improving.
The report listed areas it considers most important to improve, including the area’s increased drug use, as well as the perception that health care is inaccessible and the need for everyone to make healthy lifestyle changes.
Stauber said the foundation will know in a month or two which areas it will be able to tackle directly, in partnership with local health organizations.
“We want to see more conversation in the community (about health issues),” he said. “We will also remain open to grant requests that cut across all concerns.”