CHNA Process

How is a CHNA Conducted?

The first step in a CHNA is collecting important information about our community's health. This includes:

• Demographics: Understanding things like the age, income, and education levels of the people in the community.
• Health Data: Looking at statistics like disease rates, life expectancy, and overall health outcomes.
• Social Factors: Considering factors like access to healthy food, housing, and jobs that can impact health.
• Community Input: Listening to the people who live in our community through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

Analyzing the Data

Once the information is gathered, we will analyze the data to:

• Find out where health disparities exist—this could be differences in health between different groups of people.
• Identify what health services are already available and where there may be gaps.
• Understand the underlying causes of health problems, such as lack of access to healthcare or poor living conditions.

Setting Priorities

Next, we rank the health needs identified by importance:

• Which health issues are the most urgent?
• Which issues will have the greatest impact on our community if addressed?
• What is realistic for us to tackle with the resources available?

Creating a Plan of Action

Once the priorities are set, we create a plan to address the most important health needs:

• The plan includes clear goals and actions that will help improve health.
• We work with local organizations, government, and other partners to implement solutions.

Sharing Results and Evaluating Progress

After the plan is put into action, it’s important to check if it’s working: 

• The results and recommendations are shared with the community, so everyone knows the
  progress being made.
• Regular evaluations help make sure that the actions taken are having the desired impact,
  and adjustments can be made if needed.