Community Health Needs Assessment
What Makes a Healthy Community?
Many factors combine to determine the health of a community. In addition to disease, community health is affected by substance abuse, education level, economic status, environmental issues and the personal choices of all of us who live, work and play in the community. No one individual, community group, hospital, agency or governmental body can be entirely responsible for the health of the community. No organization can address the multitude of issues alone. However, working together, we can understand the issues and create a plan to address them.
Penn Highlands Healthcare’s continuing commitment to working together with our partners to provide superior quality care and promote community health is reflected in our Community Health Needs Assessment, or CHNA, as well as in the work we do each day to better understand and address the health needs of our community.
What is the CHNA?
As a non-profit organization, Penn Highlands Healthcare is required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) every three years. Such plan aligns with the parameters and guidelines established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and complies with IRS requirements. The CHNA document is a comprehensive review of primary and secondary data analyzing socioeconomic, public health, and demographic data at the local, state, and national level. Penn Highlands CHNAs utilized a systematic approach to identify and address the needs of the underserved and disenfranchised communities across the hospital’s geography. The CHNA report and subsequent implementation strategy planning (ISP) report will provide ways strategies to improve health outcomes for those affected by diseases as well as social and environmental barriers to health. The community needs assessment process is a meaningful engagement, and input was collected from a broad cross-section of community-based organizations, establishments, and institutions.
To view copies of the Community Health Needs Assessment from 2021, click here.