Community Health Assessment
A Community Health Assessment (CHA) is a systematic process involving the community to identify and analyze community health needs and assets and prioritize those needs. CHAs are a critical part of strong public health practice. Assessments provide opportunities for community organizations and residents to:
- Better understand the health status and behaviors of community members.
- Provide their perspectives about important health issues and participate in prioritizing concerns.
- Receive and share important data to be used to support decision-making about key health issues.
In 2016 – 2017, the Unified Government Public Health Department led the community in a CHA process. Through a series of focus groups, concerns surveys and health status assessments, seven issue areas rose to the top for community concern and need:
- Access to healthy food
- Access to medical, dental, and mental health care
- Access to safe and affordable housing
- Childhood trauma/adverse childhood experiences
- Education and jobs
- Safe and affordable housing
- Violence prevention
Because of the extent to which poverty and discrimination have an impact on all of these issues, it was agreed that these poverty and discrimination would be used as a lens for deeper examination and prioritization of work. A final CHA was written and published in April 2018. Read the summary, the abridged version, or the full version below:
Community Health Assessment - Abridged(PDF, 3MB)
Community Health Assessment(PDF, 3MB)