Community Health Needs Assessment
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
Understanding the Significant Healthcare Needs in North Dakota Communities
North Dakota's CAHs identified several different health needs through the 2014-2016 CHNA process and again in the 2017-2019 process. Many individual communities selected needs similar to each other's as the most significant for their community. The top needs across North Dakota for the 2017-2019 cycle were:
- Ability to retain primary care providers
- Attracting and retaining young families
- Having enough daycare services
- Mental health
- Substance abuse
To view and compare individual communities' identified needs, click on the map below.
CHNA Reports and Implementation Plans
A hospital prepares a strategic implementation plan as a blueprint for meeting identified needs. A public health unit prepares a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). For a complete list of CHNA reports, strategic implementation reports, and CHIPs, see the Individual Hospital CHNA Reports and Implementation Strategies.