KINGMAN
REGIONAL MEDICAL
CENTER
KINGMAN
REGIONAL
MEDICAL
CENTER
Implementation Plan
for the
Mohave County Community
Health Initiative
2016
Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
Kingman Regional Medical Center Implementation Plan for the Mohave
County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 2
Purpose........................................................................................................................................................ 2
The Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative .............................................................. 3
Community Partners ................................................................................................................................... 4
Findings of the Community Health Assessment ......................................................................................... 5
KRMC Implementation Strategies for Community Selected Health Priorities .......................................... 6
KRMC Strategies to Address Major Causes of Death in Mohave County ............................................... 15
Health Needs Not Addressed .................................................................................................................... 17
Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
Introduction
Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) is a non-profit 235-bed acute care hospital
located in Kingman, Arizona. We serve an approximate 10,000 square-mile geographic
area in Mohave County, Arizona called Hospital District Number One of Mohave County. The
district encompasses most of Mohave County with the exception of the "strip" area north of
the Grand Canyon and the areas within the school district boundaries of Bullhead City and
Lake Havasu City, AZ. Our service area population is approximately 78,000.
KRMC is a major community partner committed to enhancing health and quality-of-life in
northwest Arizona. With the mission of “serving our community with compassion and
commitment,” our vision is to “provide the region's best clinical care and patient service
through an environment that fosters respect for others and pride in performance.”
In serving our community, KRMC provides a full range of health and wellness services
including advanced medical programs in cardiology, cancer, rehabilitation, home health,
and hospice care. Our services also include primary and specialty care physician practices
and a beautiful wellness and fitness center. We are honored to be a member of the Mayo
Clinic Care Network and also serve as a teaching hospital in affiliation with Midwestern
University to train doctors specializing in family practice and emergency medicine.
Additionally, in collaboration with other community agencies and organizations, KRMC
provides or financially supports many community programs that benefit our residents,
especially our most vulnerable citizens— children, elderly, those in ill health, and those in
socio-economic distress.
Purpose
The purpose of this Kingman Regional Medical Center Implementation Plan for the Mohave
County Community Health Improvement Initiative is to inform Mohave County residents of
KRMC’s goals and strategies for addressing the priority health issues identified by a
coalition of community partners during the Mohave County community health assessment
and improvement process. Initiated in 2016, this process is part of a broad community
initiative to ultimately improve health and quality of life in Mohave County, Arizona.
This document will serve as a resource for our community in the next phase of the health
assessment and improvement process, which is developing a community health
improvement plan (CHIP). The CHIP will include community-wide strategies and measures
to address priority community health issues and needs with the ultimate goal of improving
health and quality of life in Mohave County Arizona.
Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
In addition to the priority health issues identified by the community coalition, this
document describes how KRMC is addressing other health needs identified in the
Community Health Needs Assessment for Mohave County, 2016. It also describes needs
that are not being addressed by KRMC and the reasons why KRMC is not addressing those
needs at this time.
The Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative
The Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative is an ongoing process for
improving health and quality of life in Mohave County. The process involves performing a
community health assessment and developing a community health improvement plan
every three years.
Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC), in partnership with the Mohave County
Department of Public Health (MCDPH), began the health improvement initiative by
establishing a community stakeholder coalition. Our first coalition meeting was held in
Kingman, AZ in September, 2011. The meeting involved over 50 individuals representing
city and county government, Indian tribes, healthcare, education, law enforcement, public
services, business, charities, and faith-based services in the Kingman area. The purpose of
the meeting was to introduce community stakeholders to the community health
improvement process and to obtain buy-in and commitments for assisting with the effort.
KRMC and MCDPH used the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships
(MAPP) methodology to conduct the 2016 CHA. Figure 2. Mobilizing for Action through
Planning and Partnerships Framework MAPP emphasizes a community-driven approach
and builds on previous experiences and lessons learned from the 2013 Mohave County
Health Profile.
To ensure a comprehensive approach, the KRMC and MCDPH Community Health Needs
Assessment relies on the collection and analysis of secondary, quantitative, morbidity, and
mortality data from thirty-six priority health indicators, in alignment with the CDC
Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI), as well as primary, qualitative data collected
from community stakeholders, key informants, and community members at large through
1002 surveys and community engagement through seven focus groups and fourteen key
informant interviews.
Where available, health status indicators are compared with other peer counties across the
U.S. based on the following variables: population size, population growth, population
density, population mobility, percent children, elderly and foreign born, gender ratios,
percent high school graduates, single parent households, median home values, housing
stress, percent owner-occupied housing units, median household income, receipt of
government income, household income, overall poverty, elderly poverty, and
unemployment.
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
While the CHA illustrates disease rates and individual health behaviors, the selected
measures provide a broader analysis of factors that affect people’s health. This includes
capturing environmental conditions that contribute to health, such as access to healthy
foods. The CHA highlights disparities related to health status and community conditions
through a data-driven analysis.
The criteria used to select priority indicators were based on the following:
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Is the indicator easily understood by both professionals and public residents?
Is the data readily accessible and publishable?
Is the data available at the county level and consistently available throughout the
entire county?
Is the data source for the indicator recent, preferably within the last three years?
Does the indicator mix include the physical and social environment?
Strategies to address the identified health needs and improve the health of the community
will be described in a separate document, the Community Health Improvement Plan
(CHIP), which is a multi-year strategic plan for improving the health of Mohave County and
the KRMC service region communities. This document is being developed in conjunction
with community partners and will continue with the MAPP process.
Community Partners
Kingman Regional Medical Center believes that it is extremely important to work with
other like-minded agencies, organizations, and institutions to truly make a difference. By
linking together and effectively using limited resources, we can better address unmet
community health needs.
In 2011, Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) and the Mohave County Department of
Public Health (MCDPH) formed a partnership to share project management responsibilities
and costs in conducting a community health assessment. With the mission of creating a safe
and healthy environment, MCDPH serves the county's population of over 200,000 citizens
throughout a 13,470 square mile area. The Department employs over 100 public health
professionals and volunteers in six divisions, including: Administration, Bioterrorism
Defense and Emergency Response, Public Health Nursing, Environmental Health, Senior
Programs, and Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Our community health improvement initiative was first prompted by separate agency
requirements. As a non-profit hospital, KRMC is required to perform a community health
assessment in compliance with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Additionally, MCDPH is required to perform a community health assessment for health
department accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board.
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
Since both KRMC and MCDPH are required to assess health in our community, the two
entities used the opportunity to form a large coalition of community stakeholders from
throughout Mohave County to do a wide-ranging assessment— with the mutual goal of
ultimately improving health and quality of life in our region.
The coalition includes over 100 individuals who represent community interests throughout
Mohave County. Additionally, the coalition includes individuals who represent youth,
senior citizens, minorities, and special needs groups in our community.
The role of each coalition member is to contribute insights and input on community health
from their unique perspective as related to their role in the community. Coalition members
also serve on various task forces and committees to help identify and evaluate the health
needs of the community, prioritize those needs, and develop strategies for addressing those
needs.
Findings of the Community Health Needs Assessment
According to the Community Health Needs Assessment for Mohave County, 2016 our
region has a number of strengths that contribute to a healthy lifestyle—clean air and water,
abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, and a host of community services dedicated
to the health and wellbeing of our residents.
Importantly, our strongest asset is the community spirit of many Mohave County citizens.
This was demonstrated throughout our health assessment process as hundreds of people,
representing a broad spectrum of community interests, came together in a joint effort to
make a comprehensive health assessment possible. It was also demonstrated in the
passionate responses from residents participating in our key informant interviews and
public health survey. In short, there are countless individuals and organizations with a
deep commitment to our community who are willing to work toward improvement. Their
energy, dedication, and cooperation are powerful factors in addressing health and quality
of life issues in Mohave County.
Our combined effort is very much needed. The Mohave County community health
assessment finds that far too many of our residents suffer from poor physical or mental
health. When compared to state and national statistics, Mohave County ranks poorly in
most health indicators. While some of this can be attributed to a higher than average
population of senior citizens (who naturally have more chronic health conditions), our
community health assessment indicates other larger causes:
1. Poor economic conditions
Economic insecurity is often associated with poor health. Mohave County’s high rates
of poverty, unemployment, and lack of educational achievement create barriers for
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
accessing health services, healthy food, recreation, and other necessities that contribute
to a healthy lifestyle.
2. Unhealthy behaviors and attitudes
Our lifestyle decisions and attitudes directly affect our health. Mohave County’s high
rates of smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, lack of exercise, and obesity are certain
to lead to debilitating diseases, infirmities, and premature death. Additionally, these
behaviors and attitudes are passing to our children, as indicated in Mohave County’s
high rates of underage drinking and tobacco use, teen substance abuse, teen pregnancy,
and youth antisocial behaviors.
3. Restricted access to primary care and preventative healthcare services
Access to primary care and preventative health services is vital to maintaining good
health. Due to a number of barriers, many Mohave County residents are unable or
unwilling to obtain health screenings, routine tests, vaccinations, dental care, and other
preventative healthcare services.
4. Restricted access to mental health and substance abuse services
Mental health is critical to effectively raising children, learning, working, and being
productive contributing citizens. Mohave County residents face a number of barriers in
obtaining proper care for stress, mental trauma, depression, anxiety, mood disorders,
addictive behaviors, and other mental health conditions.
KRMC Strategies for Addressing Community Health Needs
KRMC will continue to actively engage community stakeholders to address health issues
identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment for Mohave County, 2016. We are
committed to collaborating with our community partners to provide appropriate resources
and to assist however possible in meeting community-directed goals. KRMC’s
implementation strategies for the identified priority health issues are described below.
A. Economic Conditions
Economic insecurity is often associated with poor health. Mohave County’s high rates of
poverty, unemployment, and lack of educational achievement create barriers for accessing
health services, healthy food, recreation, and other necessities that contribute to a healthy
lifestyle.
Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) is a major contributor to the local economy.
With this, our strategies to help improve economic conditions in Mohave County include:
1. Maintain hospital growth and viability. A healthy, growing hospital with more
physicians and healthcare services is vital to the economy of Kingman and surrounding
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
communities. KRMC is the largest private employer in Mohave County with over 1800
employees and a payroll over $88 million. We have added 800 jobs to the Kingman
economy over the past 10 years. Businesses looking to relocate to Kingman carefully
evaluate, among other things, the healthcare available in the area.
2. Purchase goods and services from local vendors. KRMC gives priority to local
businesses when procuring goods and services for various hospital functions,
advertising and promotion, facility expansion, and other hospital operations. In 2012,
KRMC spent over $10 million with local vendors.
3. Educate and employ local talent. KRMC gives
priority to hiring local applicants when filling open
hospital positions. We coordinate with local high
schools to inform students of career opportunities at
KRMC. Additionally, we partner with Mohave
Community College and state universities to hire
healthcare workers (nurses, medical technicians, etc.)
trained through their respective programs. KRMC
funds scholarships to help local students who are
pursuing careers in healthcare with their educational
costs. We also provide tuition reimbursement to
current employees seeking further education to
advance their careers.
4. Support economic development, education, and
job training efforts in our community.
With an 80% patient base on Medicare, Medicaid or
Recent nursing graduates from Mohave
uninsured; KRMC is committed to improving the
Community College now employed with KRMC.
economic climate of our community to bring higher
paying jobs to Mohave County. KRMC is an active member of the Kingman Chamber of
Commerce, participates in various committees that focus on business development, and
supports education and job training efforts via scholarships, job shadowing and support
of student organizations such as HOSA (Health Occupation Student Association) in our
local high schools.
B. Youth Risk/Protective Factors
The results of the community health assessment as reported in the Community Health
Needs Assessment for Mohave County, 2016 show high rates of substance abuse, antisocial
behavior, and delinquency among Mohave County youth as compared to state and national
statistics. Therefore, our community coalition has chosen to address risk factors that can
lead to problem behaviors among children and adolescents in our community. This
includes characteristics of family, school, community, and peer environments known to
predict increased likelihood of drug use, delinquency, school dropout, and violent
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
behaviors among youth. The community coalition will also work to increase protective
factors, which exert a positive influence and reduce the likelihood that youth will engage in
problem behaviors. Protective factors include strong bonding to family, school, community,
and peers in addition to healthy beliefs and clear standards for behavior
Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) is a strong advocate for the health and wellbeing of our community’s children. With this, our strategies for helping to reduce youth
risk factors and to increase youth protective factors in our community include:
1. Provide training and education to new parents. KRMC is the only facility within
our 10,000-sq.-mi. hospital district with an obstetrics/perinatal unit (an average 700
babies are born at KRMC each year). This presents a unique opportunity to provide
culturally-appropriate information and education to most new parents in our
community to help increase family bonding and other protective factors in their
child’s life. We use a family-centered approach so that new mothers and fathers have
the confidence and knowledge to care for
themselves and their infant by the time they go
home from the hospital. We provide breastfeeding support and other instruction on
parenting using written materials, videos, and
demonstration techniques. Additionally, KRMC
provides free community classes on childbirth,
breastfeeding, and parenting to support
parents in raising healthy, happy children.
2. Provide outreach in schools to educate
children on healthy living skills. Through
our Kare Bear program, KRMC uses a fun and
engaging approach to educate local children on KRMC Kare Bear demonstrates water safety to children
at Little Minnows daycare.
the importance of living healthy. Kare Bear
visits local classrooms to talk about and demonstrate such topics as sun safety, hand
hygiene, bike safety and helmet use, water safety, cough etiquette, oral hygiene, the
need for an adequate amount of sleep, exercise for both mind and body, the importance
of eating healthy and making healthy choices.
3. Encourage physical fitness at community elementary schools. KRMC sponsors a
physical education program called Project Fit America at five elementary schools in
Kingman. The program includes equipment, teacher training, curriculum, and other
resources to help kids be fit, active, and healthy. Teachers report they see fantastic
changes not just in their students' health, but in their attitude toward fitness and
healthy life styles.
4. Provide free general health screenings at local schools and at special outreach
events. Resident doctors with KRMC’s Family Practice Residency program visit each of
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
Kingman’s middle schools (3) and high schools (3) during the school year providing
students a free basic physical, as well as information on making good healthcare choices
and providing a forum for the students to talk about their health concerns. They also
provide free immunizations, height and weight measurements at the hospitals annual
“Kids Day Health Expo” where an average 700 children participate.
5. Provide youth opportunities for positive community engagement through the
KRMC Volunteen program. KRMC’s youth volunteer program (Volunteens) provides
high school students (ages 14 to 19) an opportunity to serve the community in many
areas of KRMC— nursing, wellness center, laboratory, physician offices, nutrition
services, and day care center. Regardless if students are considering careers in
healthcare fields, the program provides many opportunities for gaining insight and
experience in a professional environment.
6. Provide job shadowing to students interested in health-related occupations. In
partnership with Kingman High School’s HOSA (Health Occupations Students of
America) program, KRMC hosts hundreds of high school students every February who
spend a day with hospital technologists, nurses, doctors, or administrators to observe
their work activities.
7. Encourage youth responsibility and safety through the Safe Sitter® program.
KRMC provides Safe Sitter® training to area youth. This well-rounded youth
development program aims to reduce the number of avoidable and unintentional
deaths among children being cared for by babysitters. Program graduates are able to
handle emergencies when caring for younger children and are equally equipped with
the tools needed to stay home alone safely. The program follows American Heart
Association standards for rescue skills and instruction in first aid techniques from the
American Academy of Pediatrics.
8. Provide financial support to community youth organizations and activities. KRMC
provides donations and other support to many community organizations that provide
programs, services, and support to local children and their families:
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Abrio Family Service
Advice and Aid
Pregnancy Center
Angel Manor
Arizona Youth
Partnership
Boys & Girls Club
Boy Scouts of America
Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) for
Children
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Code 3/Clothe the Kids
Cornerstone Mission
Dance Magic
Emmanuel Academy
Harbor House
Kingman High School
Health Occupation
Students of America
(HOSA) program
KHS Robotics Program
Kingman Little League
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Kingman Meth Coalition
Kingman Parks and
Recreation
Kingman Unified School
District
March of Dimes
Manzanita School
Mohave County 4-H
Mohave County Parks
Dept.
Northern Arizona Devils
Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
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Palo Christi School
Kingman Rotary Club
Salvation Army
Sarah’s House
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United Way
USSSA Girls Softball
Venture Club
Waste Mgmt.- Bowling
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for Kids
Youth Football & Soccer
9. Participate on community initiatives that address youth issues. Representatives of KRMC
participate on the Mohave County Youth Systems Technical Advisory Committee, which unites
Arizona Youth Partnership, Child Protective Services, Harbor House, Kingman Regional
Medical Center, Mohave County Juvenile Probation Office, Mohave Mental Health, and other
local organizations to deal with issues regarding run-away, homeless, abandoned, and courtdetained youth in our community.
C. Substance Abuse & Mental Health
The results of the community health assessment as reported in the Community Health Needs
Assessment for Mohave County, 2016 show high rates of substance abuse and mental health
problems among Mohave County adults as compared to state and national statistics.
Unfortunately, most of rural America is without the necessary resources to adequately address the
pandemic increase in people who are impacted by mental health and substance abuse problems.
Our service area is no different.
Kingman Regional Medical Center (KRMC) does not have a psychiatric in-patient unit. Therefore,
KRMC refers patients with mental health and substance abuse issues (that cannot be treated by a
primary care or emergency room physicians) to Mohave Mental Health in Kingman. There are a
few mental health providers in our service area who have an independent practice. Of those, most
limit their practice to a certain number of patients and/or certain third party payers.
KRMC does not have the resources that would be required to effect the changes that are needed to
adequately address the lack of mental health and substance abuse care in our service area.
However, we will continue to explore potential partnerships and internal strategies to find a way
to provide these essential services to our patients. Every effort will be made to assist our existing
mental health and substance abuse providers in maintaining and/or expanding the services that
they currently provide. With that, KRMC’s strategies for addressing substance abuse and mental
health issues in our community include:
1. Provide financial support and participate on community initiatives that address
substance abuse in our community. KRMC is actively involved in the following community
initiatives; providing leadership, financial donations, and other resources to support the
following efforts:
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Kingman Area Chapter of the Arizona Meth Community Coalition, which establishes a
comprehensive representation of relevant parties from private, public and non-profit
sectors, to develop a partnership through advocacy, education, collaboration, and support
of best practices to effectively address methamphetamine and other substance abuse issues
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
in the community.
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Mohave Substance Abuse Treatment and Education Prevention Partnership (MSTEPP), which
unites citizens throughout Mohave County in finding solutions to the substance abuse
epidemic pervasive throughout our communities. MSTEPP seeks to break this unhealthy
and heartbreaking epidemic by facilitating drug and alcohol education opportunities,
encouraging substance abuse prevention programs and encouraging the development of
high quality treatment programs which
are accessible and affordable to all
Mohave County residents.
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Walk Away from Drugs, which is an annual
event held every October in Kingman
where thousands of local children and
their parents gather to take a stand
against drug abuse and its effects on the
community.
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Participants at Walk Away from Drugs in Kingman.
KRMC is a primary sponsor of the event.
The Mohave County Tobacco Use
Prevention Program (MCTUPP), which strives to empower Mohave County residents to
make healthy choices. MCTUPP promotes healthy lifestyles through tobacco use prevention
education, cessation services, and promoting the benefits of smoke-free environments.
2. Maintain a smoke-free campus at KRMC. KRMC is committed to promoting good health,
which includes preventing as well as treating disease. Smoking related illnesses (including
those related to environmental tobacco smoke) comprise the largest proportion of preventable
diseases. Therefore, KRMC prohibits smoking at all its facilities and on hospital grounds,
including parking lots and ramps.
D. Accessible/Affordable Healthcare
Access to health resources is critical to the health of our community’s residents. The results of the
community health assessment as reported in the Community Health Needs Assessment for Mohave
County, 2016 show that there are number of barriers to obtaining proper healthcare in Mohave
County, which include:
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Financial hardship
Lack of health/dental insurance
Cultural norms and attitudes regarding health and healthcare
Lack of education and reliable information on health matters
Insufficient number of primary care providers to serve our population
Long wait times (sometimes months) to see a primary care provider
Insufficient number of dentists to serve our population
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
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Limited number of low-cost/sliding-fee health providers in Mohave County
No low-cost/sliding-fee dental providers in Mohave County
Geographic isolation and lack of transportation
Chief among the above barriers is financial hardship. A large number of residents in Kingman
Regional Medical Center’s service area are low-income and lack financial resources to pay for
health insurance and/or health services.
As in other rural areas in the United States, another barrier to accessing healthcare in Mohave
County is a shortage of medical and dental health professionals to meet the needs of our
population. There are even fewer providers that serve low-income residents in our area.
Currently, there is only one government-subsidized Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
providing low cost primary care services in KRMC’s service area (North Country Healthcare).
There are no FQHC dental providers in our service area.
The healthcare professional shortage in our area also impacts the timely delivery of services to
residents who need to see a primary care provider right away. With this and the above
circumstances, more and more people in our service area are seeking care at KRMC’s emergency
room for non-emergent healthcare issues, including for dental, mental, and substance abuse
problems.
With the circumstances described above, it is imperative to the health of our community that
accessibility and affordability of healthcare be addressed at local, regional, state, and national
levels. Therefore, KRMC places special emphasis on alleviating these issues. Our strategies for
addressing barriers that limit access to healthcare in our area include:
1. Relieve financial hardship from healthcare bills. As the only non-profit medical center in
Mohave County, KRMC provides charity healthcare services to low-income patients with no
health insurance. We also provide assistance to low-income patients with balances after
Medicare or commercial health insurance carriers have made payment. Eligibility for KRMC
assistance is based upon the patient’s household income according to federal poverty level
guidelines.
2. Recruit more physicians and other healthcare providers to our area. To meet our
community’s healthcare needs, KRMC actively works to attract highly-skilled doctors, nurses,
and other medical professionals to our area. We offer highly-competitive salaries, benefits,
and relocation packages. Additionally, many who consider practicing in Kingman find that
the community has invested in excellent medical facilities and state-of-the-art diagnostic and
treatment technologies, which are found at KRMC. Due to our recruiting efforts, hundreds of
skilled medical professionals have come to the Kingman area in recent years. Many of these
professionals have come from some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the
country.
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
3. Continue as a teaching hospital for physicians in emergency medicine and family
medicine. In 2000, KRMC became the first rural teaching hospital in Arizona. Since then,
scores of degreed doctors in emergency and family medicine have advanced their medical
education by receiving in-depth
experiential training through our
graduate medical education (GME)
residency program. While training here,
these doctors serve local patients under
the supervision of licensed doctors,
which helps meet our community’s need
for emergency and primary care
providers. Additionally, many of these
doctors choose to establish their
practices in our region after graduating
our program.
KRMC’s radiology team includes six highly-skilled
radiologists (doctors who specialize in interpreting medical
images) who received their medical training at Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota.
4. Collaborate with Mayo Clinic. As a
member of the Mayo Clinic Care
Network, KRMC healthcare providers
have direct access to Mayo Clinic medical expertise and research. The relationship enables
KRMC to address more types of medical conditions at a local level, which provides
community members further options for receiving quality care close to home.
5. Utilize telemedicine technology. As a rural hospital, KRMC is utilizing telemedicine
technology to provide access to medical specialists at larger urban centers. Our stroke
telemedicine program involves a two-way audiovisual link between KRMC and offsite
neurological center. With the system, neurologists are available 24-hours-a-day to
immediately evaluate potential stroke victims who arrive at KRMC’s emergency room. We
are also using telemedicine technology to provide local women with high-risk pregnancies
access to specialized prenatal care in Phoenix, without having to travel there. As telemedicine
technology advances, KRMC is committed to staying at the forefront to provide our
community access to specialized medical resources not usually available in rural areas.
6. Provide urgent care services. KRMC operates walk-in urgent care clinics in both Kingman
and Golden Valley to help reduce wait times in our emergency room and to help in situations
where people need to see a doctor right away for an illness or minor injury. These clinics
offer medical care services seven-days-a-week without an appointment.
7. Provide home health services. To help meet the healthcare access needs of people in our
community who are homebound, KRMC provides skilled nursing care and rehabilitation
therapies at patients’ homes in Kingman, Golden Valley, Chloride, Dolan Springs, and
Meadview.
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
8. Provide free or reduced-cost women’s health services. KRMC works in collaboration with
the federal- and state-funded Well Woman HealthCheck Program to provide free
mammograms and other women’s healthcare services (clinical breast exams, pelvic exams,
and Pap tests) to uninsured/underinsured women who qualify. Additionally, KRMC is
working to save lives from breast cancer by reducing financial barriers to timely breast
cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment that affect low-income and medicallyunderserved women in Mohave County. Through our “Catch It Early” program, we help local
women who do not qualify for other programs in obtaining the breast healthcare they need,
regardless of their ability to pay.
9. Provide low-income patients access to exercise and fitness programs.
KRMC provides scholarships for memberships to our Del. E. Webb Wellness Center to qualified
low-income patients who need to improve a health condition with exercise and are unable to
afford a membership.
10. Provide public outreach and education on disease prevention and other important
health matters. With the belief that health education is vital in achieving a healthier
community, KRMC provides many public learning opportunities:
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We offer free “Lunch & Learn” lectures to the public where a different medical expert
presents on an important health topic each month and addresses audience questions.
Additionally, we provide health lectures at area nursing homes and at other businesses,
clubs, and community organizations.
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We broadcast interviews with local medical providers on relevant health topics via
KRMC’s weekly radio program “Focus on Your Health,”.
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We publish information on important health topics in a free public newsletter called
“Inspire Health” which is distributed as an insert in the local newspaper. We also provide
health information on our website and in various brochures, fact sheets, and patient
education materials.
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We conduct outreach and health education at scores of community events, for example:
the Mohave County Fair, the Andy Devine Days Rodeo, and the Kingman Home and
Garden Business Expo.
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We conduct four health fairs per year focused on different demographic groups:
Women’s Health Fair, Senior’s Health Fair, Kid’s Day Health and Safety Fair, and Men’s
Health Fair. Scores of local organizations participate in these events, offering information
to enhance health, safety, and well being. Additionally, KRMC offers free health
screenings (e.g., bone density testing, hearing testing, cholesterol screening, etc.) as
appropriate for the demographic at the fair. We also offer free childhood immunizations
at Kid’s Day and free seasonal flu shots at our other health fairs and community outreach
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events.
11. Alleviate transportation barriers to healthcare services. KRMC is a member of the
Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG) Transportation Coordination Council,
which works to provide affordable transportation services to communities throughout
Mohave County and coordinate services among area transportation providers. In
participating on this council, KRMC collaborates with area transportation providers to meet
the needs of people who need rides to and from our medical facilities. Additionally, KRMC
operates a patient transport van, which provides free transportation services to elderly and
disabled patients in Mohave County who have no other means of travel to our facilities for
needed medical services.
KRMC Strategies to Address Major Causes of Death in Mohave County
The Community Health Needs Assessment for Mohave County, 2016 shows that Mohave County
ranks poorly in most health indicators for chronic disease in comparison to state and national
statistics. The most notable are cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease; which are
the leading causes of death in our community.
Chief among our strategies is to educate the community on how to reduce their risk of chronic
disease through healthy lifestyle choices (proper diet, exercise, not smoking, etc.). We have
developed key messages on these topics, which are included in our publications, advertising,
health fairs, health lectures, and other public communications. Additionally, specific information is
provided to patients during visits with their primary care provider.
Another major strategy for KRMC is to use a multi-disciplinary team approach for diagnosing,
treating, and surviving chronic disease. The concept behind a multidisciplinary team approach is
to focus on the patient’s health problem from multiple perspectives. As the name implies,
multidisciplinary teams are comprised of healthcare professionals with expertise in different
medical disciplines, such as primary care doctors, physician specialists, nurses, pharmacists,
dieticians, and rehabilitation therapists. Each team member contributes their individual expertise,
but also collaborates with the other professionals to address the patient’s specific condition and
needs. Team members coordinate and communicate with one another to provide a full continuum
of care for their patients— from diagnosis, to treatment, to recovery.
As KRMC continues to recruit new healthcare professionals and implement new technologies, we
are gradually evolving toward a more multidisciplinary culture. Many of the new medical
providers who have come to KRMC in recent years have trained or worked at Mayo Clinic or other
renowned healthcare institutions where the multidisciplinary team approach is already deeply
ingrained in the culture. These professionals are leading the change at KRMC. However, progress
is slow as we deal with the different challenges inherent in transforming our approach to patient
care.
For example, one of our biggest stumbling blocks is the time required for busy healthcare
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Implementation Plan for the Mohave County Community Health Improvement Initiative, 2016
professionals to meet and communicate with one another. Therefore, we are implementing such
technologies as electronic medical records (EMR), hand-held electronic devices, wireless
communications, and telemedicine capabilities to provide our medical professionals a more
efficient way to share information. With these and other developments, KRMC has begun to build
multidisciplinary teams to address the three leading causes of death in our community:
Cardiovascular Disease
KRMC provides one of the most
comprehensive cardiovascular programs
of any rural hospital in the state. Our
program involves a multidisciplinary team
of expert physicians and other heart-care
specialists who work together to provide
comprehensive seamless care for the
prevention of, diagnosis, treatment, and
recovery from heart disease and other
vascular disorders. Our multidisciplinary
cardiovascular team includes a number of
physicians specializing in cardiology,
KRMC’s multidisciplinary cardiovascular team includes a number of skilled
healthcare professionals with specialized roles in cardiac care.
interventional cardiology, radiology,
interventional radiology, endovascular
medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, pulmonology, cardiac anesthesiology, critical care, and
emergency medicine. Additionally, our team includes dozens of other healthcare professionals
with specialized roles in cardiac care.
Cancer
The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a complex process, requiring the expertise of many
highly trained individuals. Our cancer team brings together physician specialists from many fields,
including radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pain
management specialists. Additionally, our team includes oncology nurses, nutritionists,
counselors, patient navigators, and other cancer-care professionals. Our team approach is to battle
every aspect of the disease, while assuring the patient’s overall wellbeing. For example, in addition
to cancer diagnosis and treatment, we provide counseling and emotional support services,
nutritional support, pain management, rehabilitation services, and other therapies and support
services tailored to each patient's individual needs.
Lung disease and breathing disorders care
To provide comprehensive care to patients with lung disease or breathing disorders, our
multidisciplinary pulmonary/respiratory team includes physician specialists such as
pulmonologists, cardiologists, critical-care physicians, radiologists, oncologists, and surgeons.
Additionally, our pulmonary/respiratory team includes licensed respiratory therapists, sleep
specialists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dieticians, home health
nurses, and host of other skilled healthcare clinicians. With our coordinated team approach, we
provide diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for most lung or respiratory conditions in adults
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and children. Our goal is to not only diagnose and manage the condition, but to provide the
support our patients need to improve their quality of life.
Health Needs Not Addressed
There were many other health issues identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment for
Mohave County, 2016 that are clearly important to improving the health of the community. The
most notable health issues not specifically addressed at this time are diabetes, infant mortality,
obesity, and teen pregnancy. These issues are not being specifically addressed in our current
strategies because our community stakeholders deemed them as having less immediate impact on
community health than the other issues they selected. However, as described throughout this
report, KRMC provides many programs and services that directly or indirectly help to improve
outcomes in these health areas.
Additionally, we did not address dental health or motor vehicle accidents because these issues
were deemed lower priority by the community coalition and because they are outside the scope of
current KRMC operations.
KRMC will continue to be an active contributor and leader in the Mohave County Community
Health Improvement Initiative as our community stakeholder coalition develops a Community
Health Improvement Plan and monitors progress according to identified measures in the plan.
Additionally, KRMC is committed to this same level of involvement when the entire community
health assessment process for Mohave County is repeated again in three years. In the mean time,
we will continue addressing health needs and issues in our service area. If any health issue not
covered in this plan becomes a larger concern in our community, we will address it in future
planning efforts, or if the opportunity arises, integrate it into this plan as a sub-objective activity.
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