LEWISTOWN - Residents in Mifflin and Juniata counties who received a questionnaire in the mail as part of the Human Services Needs Assessment now have a few more weeks to complete it and send it in.
The deadline for the assessment, which aims to identify gaps in human services, has been extended to Feb. 29.
The survey, conducted by the Mifflin Juniata Human Services Department, involves a questionnaire that was mailed to 3,000 residents in Mifflin and Juniata counties.
Done in cooperation with the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata and Lewistown Hospital, this is the second study of its kind in the Juniata Valley. The first one was completed in 2005, said Allison Fisher, human services director at the Mifflin Juniata Human Services Department.
"The goal is to do it every five years," Fisher said.
The reason it was put off until now, she said, was to obtain 2010 census information and other statistical data pertaining to that year. So far, Fisher said, about 450 questionnaires have been mailed back, but the goal is to receive another 500.
Without another 500 responses, the assessment won't be "statistically valid," said Marie Mulvihill, executive director of the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata.
"It's not a good tool" without all the answers, she said.
Data from the questionnaire, along with information from other sources, will be used to develop a published report that will be made available to the public, according to a press release from Lewistown Hospital.
The final report will be used for the following: developing and implementing program plans to address key human service issues; promoting collaboration and partnerships within the community; writing grants; educating different groups about emerging issues and community priorities; supporting community advocacy and policy development; establishing a reference point for measuring effectiveness of programs and progress over time; and supporting community-based strategic planning and determining where funding is allocated, the release states.
The questionnaires, which were sent out last month, are being completed by a "random sample" of people Fisher said, meaning those who got the survey are of varying age, gender and financial background.
In fact, a special company was used to make sure the mailings were truly random, Mulvihill said.
Also, the answers on the questionnaires are kept completely confidential, Fisher said.
Once all the responses are received, the statistical information will be tabulated, then analyzed by the Penn State Cooperative Extension, and a United Way volunteer will input all the information into a database, Mulvihill said.
Then, the Penn State Cooperative Extension will compare that data with 2010 census data and other statistical data, some of which has been made available by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, she said.
"We look at what the consumers say against data," Mulvihill said, explaining that this data includes census and state health data.
Then, that information is presented to stakeholders, Fisher said.
"We'll get some feedback from them," she said.
The information will then be put into a document to help identify gaps in human services. Once gaps have been identified, Fisher said, focus groups can form. Assessment conductors will invite the general public to these focus groups, and present the information there, she said.
"I hope that we're going to see we've improved access to services," she said, as well as identify new areas that "come to the surface."
The needs assessment committee includes: Fisher; Mulvihill; Phyllis Mitchell, vice president of marketing and community affairs at Lewistown Hospital; Walt Whitmer, Penn State Senior Extension Associate; and Neal Fogle, Penn State Extension educator.
Those who received a questionnaire but threw it away may contact the human services office for another copy. The office can be reached at 242-5452.
