Technical Assistance - Community Health Needs Assessments

Moving forward, the North Dakota Center for Rural Health will no longer complete Community Health Needs Assessments as a form of technical assistance. However, we will continue to provide resources and support critical access hospitals in this process.

Purpose of Conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment

Describe the health of local people
Identify use of local healthcare services
Identify community needs
Identify action needed to address the future delivery of healthcare in the defined area

Benefits

Access to timely input from the local community, providers, staff as well as secondary data related to health conditions, disease status, and more.
Information to guide decision making, marketing efforts, and the development of a strategic plan.
Community engagement and local involvement that informs the future of healthcare delivery.
Meets federal regulation requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for charitable hospitals. To help ensure compliance with regulations, the Center for Rural Health has developed a checklist to use when preparing a Community Health Needs Assessment written report and implementation strategy.

Options for Completing Community Health Needs Assessments:

Complete your Own
Resources have been developed to assist critical access hospitals interested in completing their own assessment and are available below:

Hire a Consultant
Facilities unable to complete their own assessment may hire a consultant. Below is information for consultants the North Dakota Center for Rural Health is aware of that currently complete Community Health Needs Assessments. This is not intended to be an endorsement of any particular consulting firm nor is it an exhaustive list.