Module 5: CHNA Toolkits

Publically accessible toolkits are available to support hospitals and health systems in their efforts to both assess community health needs and implement strategies to improve the health of their respective communities.

The toolkits selected below provide comprehensive instruction on all aspects of the CHNA from community stakeholder engagement to dissemination of results.

CHNA Toolkit
The CHNA toolkit is a free web-based platform designed to assist hospitals (with particular attention to critical access and other smaller facilities), non-profit organizations, state and local health departments, financial institutions, and other organizations seeking to better understand the needs and assets of their communities, and to collaborate to make measurable improvements in community health and well-being. Support for the public CHNA toolkit was provided by Kaiser Permanente and IP3, with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Go to the Free Toolkit

CHNA Data Platform
This web-based resource is provided by Kaiser Permanente as a way of supporting robust and efficient community health needs assessments. The data platform includes a focused set of community health indicators that highlight “key drivers” of health, allowing you to understand what is driving health in particular neighborhoods at a fine geographic unit of analysis. The platform also provides capacity for mapping and creating tables that use a wide variety of data to develop a rich picture of communities’ needs as well as assets.
Go to CHNA Data Platform

Mobilizing for Action through Planning & Partnerships (MAPP)
Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) is a community-driven strategic planning process for improving community health sponsored by the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO).
Go to MAPP strategic planning process

Community Commons
Community Commons is an interactive mapping and networking site that supports CHNA initiatives. Registered users have access to a broad array of mapping, reporting and data visualization tools. Community Commons is supported by Advancing the Movement, IP3 and other organizations.
Go to Community Commons

National Center for Rural Health Works (NCRHW)
The NCRHW provides a package of resources for rural hospitals to use in their CHNA process including templates on designing the community survey, focus group questions and outcome reporting.
Go to NCRHW Resources

Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Resources
The CDC provides multiple tools and resources to help with CHNA planning, data gathering and report writing.
Go to CDC Resources

Collaboration with Local Health Departments
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded and clarified federal community benefit requirements for non-profit hospitals by establishing new standards relating to community health needs assessment. Each non-profit hospital facility in the United States must conduct a triennial CHNA and adopt an implementation strategy to meet identified community health needs.

The National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) provides extensive resources on the ways in which local health departments can strategically and collaboratively align their community health assessment efforts with those now required of non-profit hospitals.
NACCHO web site