Assessing our Community's Health Needs

Friday, May 22, 2015

Work has begun on a health needs assessment process in Mendocino County. During 2015, data will be used from HealthyMendocino.org as well as information from local surveys, focus groups, interviews, and other sources to understand major health concerns and their causes in our county. In addition, an inventory of local assets for improving health will be collected. This information will be used to engage the community in 2016 in setting priorities and strategies for responding to major local health concerns. The purpose of this year's project is to develop an ongoing, collaborative process of assessing and responding to the health needs of Mendocino County residents.

The project, called the "Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and Health Improvement Initiative," is being planned and carried out by the CHNA Planning Group, a coalition of organizations creating a comprehensive and cost-effective collaborative process. Coalition partners include the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency, Ukiah Valley Medical Center, Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital, the Alliance for Rural Community Health, and North Coast Opportunities. The CHNA Planning Group is affiliated with the Healthy Mendocino Steering Committee. 

And now that the project planning phase is well underway, the CHNA Planning Group is looking to contract with a Project Manager to coordinate the data collection and implementation phase of the project. Interested in this coordination role? Please take a look at the Request for Applications (RFA) here.