What is a Community Health Needs Assessment?
A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a systematic process involving the community to identify and analyze community health needs. The process provides a way for communities to prioritize health needs, and to plan and act upon unmet community health needs.
CHNAs may be conducted by a variety of organizations. Each Critical Access Hospital (CAH) must conduct a CHNA once every three years, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Local public health units seeking to gain or maintain accreditation must conduct a Community Health Assessment every five years. Many methods exist for conducting an assessment, but generally include:
- Stakeholder meetings
- Community focus groups
- Surveys
- Interviews with community leaders
- Population health and other health-related data
Source: Community Health Needs Assessment Information from the Center for Rural Health. Center for Rural Health. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2022, from https://ruralhealth.und.edu/projects/community-health-needs-assessment#:~:text=A%20Community%20Health%20Needs%20Assessment%20(CHNA)%20is%20a%20systematic%20process,by%20a%20variety%20of%20organizations.
