Public Participation, Needs Assessment & Strategic Planning

CVPH is a vital community resource and active participant in collaborating and cooperating with organizations and individuals for the betterment of health care in the region. The medical center welcomes and solicits input from the people and organizations it serves. The following are some of the ways feedback was sought and received during 2006 above and beyond the extensive efforts made as part of the strategic planning process:

Presentations about future development plans that included question-and-answer sessions were made to:

  • Plattsburgh Lions Club 
  • Peru Lions Club 
  • Chazy Lions Club 
  • Beekmantown Lions Club 
  • Plattsburgh Sunrise Rotary 
  • Plattsburgh Noon Rotary 
  • Plattsburgh Noon Kiwanis Club 
  • Business & Professional Women's Association 
  • League of Women Voters 
  • NY State Retired Teachers Association – Clinton County

Neighbors residing on streets in the immediate vicinity of CVPH were invited by letter to attend an evening meeting to discuss needs and future development on April 17, 2006.

The CVPH web site (www.cvph.org) feedback function generated more than 200 suggestions and inquiries.

CVPH hosted and/or participated in a number of regularly scheduled multi-agency meetings to discuss service delivery and better coordinate efforts including: 

  • The tri-county Mobilizing for Action  through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) activities coordinated by the Clinton County Department of Health 
  • Partners, a quarterly gathering to address systems  issues and limitations among providers 
  • Nursing Home Administrators group 
  • Clinton County Multi Agency Coordinating Group 
  • Eastern Adirondack Health Care Network
In addition to the usual and customary efforts described above, in 2006 CVPH embarked upon the development of a new strategic and operating plan that would provide direction for the medical center from 2007 to 2012. Data from county, state, and federal sources were utilized. The process involved an assessment of the external environment as related to CVPH that included:

  • Community Perspective
  • National/Regional Perspective
  • Regulatory Issues/Reimbursement
  • Labor Market
  • Political Environment
The assessment of the internal environment included:

  • Staffing
  • Competition
  • Physician Environment
  • Labor Agreements
  • Finances
As part of the process, numerous individual interviews were conducted with: 

  • 18 members of the CVPH Medical Staff
  • 11 of the 15 members of the CVPH Board of Directors
  • 8 community leaders
  • 4 chief executive officers of hospitals in the region
  • 9 members of the CVPH administrative team
Group meetings to plan for the future were held with:

  • 36 Board, physician, community, administrative members
  • 21 physicians
  • Approximately 500 employees at CVPH Town Meetings 
  • 111 medical center managers and supervisors
  • 17 members of senior management
As a result, the following six critical planning issues were identified, from which corporate, departmental and individual goals have been developed for 2007 and beyond:

Unmet Community Health Needs: Take the lead to improve access and outcomes in two major community health issues.

Physician Alignment: Develop alignment models (e.g. employment, hospitalists, multi-specialty groups, networks) that facilitate a collaborative process between CVPH and the Medical Staff to support growth and quality.

Growth: The geographic and service line/program expansion priorities that CVPH should pursue to increase volume and market share in the secondary service market.

Financial Health: Improve the financial performance of the hospital utilizing scientific methods to decrease length of stay, cost/medical, admission and development of productivity benchmarks.

Quality: Differentiate from competitors in clinical and service quality by achieving national quality recognition and develop mechanisms for public transparency of information.

Organizational Development: Ensure that exceptional people, information technology and infrastructure continue to be in place to support the strategic plan and critical issues of the medical center.