Step 3: Conduct Needs Assessment
One of the most important elements in the health center development process is to understand the needs of the community and assess if there are people in the community that do not have access to affordable health care. When conducting a community assessment, the resources of CHAD, the State Health Department and others should be utilized to determine if the area has been identified as a high-need area or underserved area for health care.
Cultural, demographic, and health status information should be collected to determine the problems and needs in the target population. The needs assessment should evaluate the demographics, health status indicators, socioeconomic indicators, cultural influences, other health care providers, etc. to identify available services and gaps in services for the target population.
Common data sources for review include:
- Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count
- Census Bureau
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- County Health Rankings
- Kaiser State Health Facts
- North Dakota Department of Health
- South Dakota Department of Health
The grant guidance for community health center funding includes a needs assessment form which must be completed as part of the application submission process. The needs assessment score helps to determine the competitiveness of your application.
