Determine Significant Health Needs
Before you prioritize and identify the health needs that your organization will address, you'll first need to identify the significant health needs of your community.
To determine if something is a significant health need, you should set criteria that are applicable to your community. Be sure to use the results from both your secondary data analysis and community input to draft your list of significant health needs, which can be used during the prioritization process.
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Example Criteria
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- Several indicators are trending poorly
- Large disparities among different groups
- A root cause to several chronic conditions
- A common theme discussed by focus groups/key informants
- Identified as a significant health problem during community input AND value is in the red or yellow compared to other locations
- Affects large number of people
Important Note for Hospitals:
A hospital facility may determine whether a health need is significant based on all of the facts and circumstances present in the community it serves. In addition, a hospital facility may use any criteria to prioritize the significant health needs it identifies, including, but not limited to, the burden, scope, severity, or urgency of the health need; the estimated feasibility and effectiveness of possible interventions; the health disparities associated with the need; or the importance the community places on addressing the need.
IRS Community Health Needs Assessment Rule 12/31/14