We’ve covered quite a few different topics this week on the RMS Healthcare blog that discussed Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs). Prior blog posts have discussed 4 tips to conduct a better CHNA survey, 7 components of a CHNA, and using a partner for CHNA data collection. This blog post discusses the 7 guiding principles of a CHNA as dictated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more information on principles to consider for the implementation of a Community Health Needs Assessment Process, click on the following link for a report produced by The George Washington University.

CHNA Consultant Vendor Partner

The over-arching goal of CHNAs is to create health benefits for the community. With that in mind, community health improvement or any large-scale improvement efforts, for that matter, require a multi-stage approach across many different constituencies. It’s critical for these constituencies to work together towards one common goal of improving community health. A CHNA is major undertaking for any hospital or healthcare organization and it will require a dedicated team, time, and a budget to ensure all internal and external stakeholders are heard. Many organizations choose to work with a guiding partner or market research firm to help their team implement a process, workplan, and carry-out the research to develop this strategic plan.

The 7 guiding principles of a CHNA are:

  • Multi-sector collaborations that support shared ownership of all phases of community health improvement, including assessment, planning, investment, implementation, and evaluation.
  • Proactive, broad, and diverse community engagement to improve results.
  • A hospital’s definition of community that encompasses both a significant enough area to allow for population-wide interventions and measurable results, and includes a targeted focus to address disparities among sub-populations.
  • Maximum transparency to improve community engagement and accountability.
  • Use of evidence-based interventions and encouragement of innovative practices with thorough evaluation.
  • Evaluation to inform a continuous improvement process.
  • Use of the highest quality data pooled from, and shared among, diverse public and private sources.

Research & Marketing Strategies (RMS) is a healthcare consultant and market research firm that specializes in Community Health Needs Assessments. If you are interested in being assisted by RMS Healthcare for your upcoming CHNA study, contact our Business Development Director Sandy Baker at SandyB@RMSresults.com or call 1-866-567-5422.