Healthy vision. Baton Rouge, LA, healthcare organizations collaborate to complete a needs assessment

Baton Rouge, LA, has in recent years seen rocketing rates of syphilis, alcohol abuse, and other health problems. In response, 10 local healthcare organizations met in 1993 to form the Baton Rouge Health Forum. The forum began its work by conducting a community needs assessment. The forum organized three task forces. One compiled existing data on area demographics, public health, economics, and education. A second task force employed personal interviews and focus groups to gather residents' opinions on the area's top 10 healthcare needs. The third task force kept local media and community leaders informed about the assessment's findings. As in other U.S. communities, Baton Rouge residents' top 10 needs centered around social issues with health implications. The number one perceived need, for example, was a central clearing-house to provide information about healthcare to those who lack it.