Community Benefit Resources

Assessing and Planning for Community Benefit

Assessing community health needs and developing plans to address selected needs are essential to effective community benefit programs. This concept was reinforced by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted March 23, 2010, which contains requirements for tax-exempt hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments (CHNAs) and to adopt implementation strategies (ISs) to meet the health needs identified through the assessments.

Planning and Models
Conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment

Developing an Implementation Strategy/Community Benefit Plan
Program Planning
Community Relationships/Partnerships

Assessment — Planning/Models

Action Guide, National Quality Forum. A framework to help multisector groups work together to improve population health.
Checklist for Community Stakeholder Involvement
CHNA Report Template (G)
CHRISTUS Health CHNA and CHIP Checklist
CHRISTUS Health CHNA and CHIP Process
Community Toolbox, Work Group for Community Health and Development, University of Kansas
MAPP Framework, National Association of County and City Health Officials
NACCHO's Resource Center for Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans

Assessment — Data Sources

America's Health Rankings — Partnership between United Health Foundation, American Public Health Association, and Partnership for Prevention™. An annual assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state basis.
CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index
Census Data
- State and County Quickfacts
- American Factfinder
City Health Dashboard
Community Need Index™ — identifies the severity of health disparity for every zip code in the United States and demonstrates the link between community need, access to care, and preventable hospitalizations.
County Health Rankings — a collection of 50 reports — one per state — that ranks all counties within each state on their overall health.
Data on older adults
- The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)
- University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study
Medically Underserved Areas/Populations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
National Center for Health Statistics online, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Neighborhood Atlas's Area Deprivation Index
State Snapshots, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Assessment — Indicators

National Environmental Public Health Tracking Data explorer | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Community Health Assessment for Population Health Improvement: Resource of Most Frequently Recommended Health Outcomes and Determinants, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Community Health Status Indicators Project online, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Indicator Selection Tool, resource in CHA’s Assessing and Addressing Community Health Needs
Kids Count: Indicators of Child Well-Being, Annie E. Casey Foundation
National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership
Prevention Quality Indicators, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
State Health Facts, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Assessment — Collecting Community Input

Community Engagement website, Minnesota Department of Health
Community Assessment Guide Book, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Community Toolbox — see sections on public forums, focus groups, interviews and surveys.
Meaningful Consumer Engagement, Community Catalyst. A toolkit for plans, providers and communities.

Assessment — Priority-Setting

Setting Priorities: Linking Assessment to Planning webinar
- View webinar recording
- View PowerPoint

Assessment — Communication/Reporting

Model Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy Summaries, CHA, 2012
Catholic health care system community benefit reports, Catholic Health Association website

Community Benefit Plan/Implementation Strategy

Community benefit and healthy food: A national assessment — a resource from Health Care Without Harm that identifies opportunities and challenges for greater community benefit investment in healthy food access. It also probes examples of hospital-community collaborations that not only promote healthy food access but also help build thriving communities, strong local economies, and sustainable food systems.
CDC Healthy Hospital Toolkit - A Toolkit for Creating Healthy Hospital Environments: Making Healthier Food, Beverage, and Physical Activity Choices
ChangeLab Solutions — a resource for model policies, how-to guides, fact sheets and other policy tools to help communities enact laws and policies that promote healthy communities
Consensus Statement on Quality in the Public Health System, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Implementation Strategy Report Template (G)
Logic Model Development Guide | W.K. Kellogg Foundation
National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- SAMHSA Technical Assistance and Resource Booklet, 2015
National Prevention Strategy, National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council, Office of the Surgeon General
Prevention for a Healthier America: Trust for America's Health ROI report with state-specific information, February 2009.
Priority Areas for Improvement of Public Health Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, November 2010.
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) website, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Resources for SDOH data, tools for action, programs, and policies.

Program Planning

Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development - a registry of evidence-based positive youth development programs designed to promote the health and well-being of children and teens.
Community Health Improvement Navigator (CHI Navigator), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A tool that can be used to identify interventions that work in four areas —socioeconomic factors, physical environment, health behaviors, and clinical care.
Health in All Policies Resource Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A one-stop-shop that provides practical resources and tools for collaboration across sectors to achieve policies that impact community health.
The Guide to Community Preventive Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer (4th Edition), by James F. McKenzie, Brad L. Neiger and Jan L. Smeltzer, Benjamin Cummings Publisher, 2004.
Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) — an electronic journal that shares public health study results and practical experience.
Program Planning Worksheet (G)
Stop Obesity Alliance

Community Relationships/Partnerships

National Quality Forum Action Guide 1.0 and related web page
"Vision for a Healthy and Vibrant Community," Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department

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Assessing and Addressing Community Health Needs – Developed to help not-for-profit health care organizations strengthen their assessment and community benefit planning processes. Offers practical advice on how hospitals can work with community and public health partners to assess community health needs and develop effective strategies for improving health in our communities.

Order in the store (free for CHA members)

Assessing and Addressing Community Health Needs Summary image

A Summary of CHNA and IS Requirements and Recommended Practices – A concise overview of federal requirements for tax-exempt hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments and adopt implementation strategies to address identified needs. This resource aligns with IRS final rules.