HRiA completed the Bexar County Community Health Assessment over a 14-month period – working with the Health Collaborative of Bexar County, TX in 2013. This was the second assessment and planning project that HRiA has conducted for The Health Collaborative (first project in 2010). This collaborative entity includes seven area hospitals and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Department. The community health assessment aimed to fulfill the state mandate for assessments for each of the participating hospitals and provide the health department with an assessment required for accreditation. More importantly, the process focused on building a shared understanding of the county’s assets and needs and identified opportunities for collaborative efforts for the future.

From methodology development to data collection to dissemination of the findings, HRiA worked with The Health Collaborative’s steering committee and key community partners to ensure that community leaders and key stakeholders were involved throughout the process.  The Bexar County Community Health Assessment included sophisticated analysis of social, economic, and epidemiological data of the region, over 20 focus groups in English and Spanish, and three community events (one with simultaneous translation in Spanish), engaging more than 450 residents. Upon completion of the assessment, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Department hired HRiA to facilitate a core group of stakeholders in a strategic planning process to develop San Antonio’s community health improvement plan (CHIP).