Community Health Assessment

HRiA serves as a trusted partner to public health departments, hospitals, and foundations interested in maximizing their resources and having a meaningful impact on population health.

A community health assessment (CHA) helps hospitals meet federal tax guidelines, health departments earn accreditation, and foundations guide their investment strategy.

With our research and evaluation expertise, HRiA has helped communities across the country conduct CHAs, using tools such as a NACCHO-recommended health assessment model, Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP), as well as a variety of state-specific models and hybrids appropriate for particular jurisdictions. CHAs require a sophisticated combination of research techniques as well as both quantitative and qualitative data collection, with an understanding of both the potential and limitations inherent in various indicators and data sources.

Drawing on our decades of experience working with community coalitions, government agencies, philanthropic organizations and nonprofits, HRiA understands what each of these stakeholders can bring to the process, and we use our facilitation expertise to assure that each can contribute fully. Our partners also benefit from the detailed understanding we have developed by assisting hospitals and other health organizations with their various planning processes.

Our approach is inclusive of diverse sectors and voices, participatory, transparent, and open to multiple communication pathways so that findings are widely shared - all keys to assuring widespread community support for the process.

• Form an advisory group and develop a timeline with a data collection plan including a framework and methodology, as well as a communication strategy;
• Collect qualitative and quantitative data;
• Analyze the data;
• Develop a report, the community health profile, with community feedback;
• Disseminate the report.