Every Community IS Unique
![Your community is like no other and has innumerable opportunities to improve the health of its residents. Image by Mattinbgn (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://ascenthealthconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Dunedin_Suburbs.jpg)
Your community is like no other and has innumerable opportunities to improve the health of its residents.
Image by Mattinbgn (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
1. Research is the basis for all good decision making and strategy.
2. Every community is unique and has opportunities to become a much healthier place.
3. Prevention is the most powerful concept for improving community health.
Last week, we covered our first value, that research is the basis for all good decision making and strategy. If you’re curious about that post, check it out here. This week, we’re going to focus on our second core value, that every community is unique and has opportunities to become a much healthier place.
First, every community really IS unique. You can paint the whole U.S. with a few broad strokes when it comes to healthcare needs – obesity is a problem, diabetes is a problem, cardiovascular disease is a problem. But each community experiences these issues and many others in varying degrees and the infrastructure to address the many issues also can vary widely.
Community health needs assessment templates aren’t always the answer. To perform a community health needs assessment (CHNA) that meets the requirements set by the IRS (for nonprofit hospitals) and truly makes a difference in how you spend your money and how you impact the health of your community, you have to take an in-depth look at the community and see what its specific needs are. This process is best guided by those who have broad experience and a passion for this work.
Every community can become much healthier, but it’s important to identify the best strategy for improvement based on a CHNA that asks the right questions and brings you the best data. A comprehensive CHNA can help you identify those areas that are unique to your community and target the specific needs with services and education, ultimately making your community a healthier place for all.
Unique communities deserve unique assessments and unique strategies. Contact us to start your path toward a CHNA tailored to your community today.
Lear More