Strategic and Operational Planning

Running a Health Center is not easy. There is an increasing array of financial, management, maintenance, and fund-raising tasks to undertake in order to keep a Health Center operating but Health Centers are really about people. One of the hardest parts of running a Health Center is bringing a group of people together to work as a team. A team with shared goals and a common purpose will improve a Health Center and help them achieve their goals. This requires planning.

Some thoughts on strategic and operational planning:

• If you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there.
• Plans are nothing, but planning is everything.
• Planning is an ongoing process, not an immediate solution to all problems.
• Failure requires no planning.
• Planning should provide a clear and common direction
• Planning should provide specific and measurable goals, strategies and actions that describe what they want to prioritize and do.
• Health Center plans outline the basics of where the Health Center may be heading, and the key priorities. Further planning may be necessary and specific plans might need to be drawn up to service key projects or key areas of the Health Center business or financial planning, asset planning (asset management) or operational planning can help define specific timeframes, responsibilities, and resources required.

A strategic and operational plan can help a Health Center be successful by:

• Identifying goals and developing ways of achieving them
• Ensuring viability and success
• Responding to issues and opportunities
• Being more efficient and effective in doing things together
• Communicating and influencing others
• Building consensus amongst a wide cross-section of the health center.

As part of its planning, the Strategic Planning Committee, CEO, and 5THA staff contributed to and developed a Strategic Plan that will drive the corporate goals as outlined in a Matrix that records baselines, goals, and actions designed to achieve its objectives for each key area.

This matrix records strategies and actions that are SMART. They are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Reviewable
• Time-bound

 In addition, the quarterly Matrix review will show:

• What the Health Canter intends to do, and how
• Who will be responsible for the action
• When these will be done
• What resources are needed
• How progress will be measured or indicators of success that will help the health Center know whether it has achieved its objectives or not

Strategic Goals: (Note: Our Strategic Goals Align with HHS and HRSA Priorities)

1. Provide Quality Health Care and Improve access to quality health care and services for all community members, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

• • Ongoing identification of populations we serve and the barriers they encounter in accessing quality health care.
  • Develop strategies to reach these populations and ensure their needs are met through patient-centered care.
  • Increase outreach and enrollment in quality care in all services provided by Mountain Community Health Center and other resources.
  • Expand Prevention and Treatment of Social Determinants of Health for Medical, Dental, and Behavior Health.
  • Expand health center accessibility through the use of telehealth technology.

2. Bolster the Financial soundness and long-term viability of Mountain Community Health

• • Leverage internal resources and explore securing additional resources to meet our goals.
  • Archive volume, unduplicated patient count totals, and other measures of financial health to meet grant requirements and meet or exceed relevant benchmarks while continuing to provide high-quality care.
  • Ensure that a sustainable payer and service mix strategy is integrated into outreach efforts and services offered.

3. Strengthen recruitment, training, and retention of staff to serve all patients from our community with high-quality care.

• • Provide an integrated work environment
  • Continue to provide competitive pay commensurate with experience and performance
  • Assure that our healthcare workforce is trained to provide high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate care.
  • Support the development of interdisciplinary health teams to meet best the needs of individuals, families, and communities.
  • Senior staff is charged with creating and implementing an operational plan to achieve the goals and objectives outlined in this Strategic Plan, which should include a timeline, plan of activities, benchmarks, indicators of success, required resources, and quarterly reports to the Board of Directors.  However, the changing and volatile healthcare landscape requires the continuing active involvement of the Five-Town Health Alliance Inc, the Board of Directors, staff, and HRSA and FTHA community.