Community Health Needs Assessment

As a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), all tax-exempt hospitals are required to assess the health needs of their community through a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). A CHNA, which is conducted every three years, is a written document developed for a hospital that includes a description of the community served by the hospital; the process used to conduct the assessment including how the hospital took into account input from community members including those with special knowledge of or expertise in public health; identification of any persons with whom the hospital has worked on the assessment; and the health needs identified through the assessment process.