Health Needs Assessments

The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a federally mandated process for hospitals to undertake every 3 years to gain a comprehensive understanding of the community’s health needs and assess our population’s concerns about their health and the community’s health and then adopt an implementation strategy to address the identified needs. “Section 501(r)(3)(A) requires a hospital organization to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) every three years and to adopt an implementation strategy to meet the community health needs identified through the CHNA.”

What’s New in 2022

 

In 2022, the process for conducting the CHNA shifted focus to recognize the impact that social determinants of health and health equity have had on our health outcomes. The process and methodology were intentionally designed to be more inclusive of historically and presently underserved and marginalized communities. The methodology for data collection included:

  1. Reviewing and assessing 60+ key health indicators.
  2. Conducting 20 key information interviews focusing on attaining a broad perspective from the community to include: migrant farm workers, single parents, individuals receiving home health services, members of our black, people of color and indigenous communities, emergency services, economic development, people with a disability, and people in recovery.
  3. Organizing 5 focus groups to take a deeper dive into the health needs of certain communities to include: Abenaki youth, seniors living in rural areas, LGBTQIA youth, military families, and people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
  4. Piloting a broad community-wide survey that explores the linkages between health outcomes, built environment, community and individual demographics, social determinants, and access to health services.


A group of key stakeholders met weekly beginning in December 2021 to design, draft, and implement the CHNA. Northwestern Medical Center contracted the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont as consultants to provide expertise on data collection and analytics.

The CHNA Planning Committee includes:

  • Amy Brewer, Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Coalition
  • Andrea Patrick-Baudet, FCHHA
  • Catherine Dimitruk, Northwest Regional Planning
  • Denise Smith, Vermont Blueprint for Health
  • Erin Creley, VDH
  • Jess Graff, CVOEO
  • Jesse Bridges, United Way
  • Joanne Crawford, Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi
  • Jonathan Billings, NMC
  • Pam Parsons, NOTCH
  • Todd Bauman, NCSS

 

View the 2021/2022 assessment

View the Implementation Plan for 2022.

Click here for a progress report from May 2023. 

If you have questions about the 2022 CHNA, please reach out to Denise Smith at [email protected].

The NMC CHNA process was assisted by the Center for Rural Studies (CRS), located at the University of Vermont. CRS is a non-profit, fee-for-service organization assisting organizations addressing social, economic, and resource challenges through applied research, program evaluation, community data & indicators and economic impact studies.

 

A number of themes emerged from the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessments process. To provide input on the prioritization those themes, click here to learn more and take a short survey. 

 

2018/2019

In alignment with Federal regulations, Northwestern Medical Center conducted a comprehensive 2018/2019 community health assessment. Through the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, this assessment identified health related issues facing the Franklin and Grand Isle Counties community. These issues were confirmed and seven top priorities were established by multi-disciplinary community panel. The document consists of a 14-slide summary outlining the top priorities. That summary is followed by the 88-page full report.

View 2018/2019 assessment

2015/2016

In alignment with Federal regulations, Northwestern Medical Center conducted a comprehensive 2015/2016 community health assessment. Through the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, this assessment identified health related issues facing the Franklin and Grand Isle Counties community. These issues were confirmed and six top priorities were established by multi-disciplinary community panel. The document consists of a 10-slide summary outlining the top priorities. That summary is followed by the 117 page full report.

View 2015/2016 assessment

2012/2013

In alignment with Federal regulations, Northwestern Medical Center conducted a comprehensive 2012/2013 community health assessment.  Through the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, this assessment identified the top health related issues facing the Franklin and Grand Isle Counties community.  These issues were confirmed and prioritized by a multi-disciplinary community panel.  The document consists of a 19 page summary outlining the priorities as well as NMC’s plans to help address them within our community.  That summary is followed by the 120 page full report.

View 2012/2013 assessment

2009

NMC is part of the collaborative effort which produces “Bridges To Well-Being” the community needs assessment for Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. It provides a broad overview of factors relating to demographics, immediate needs, health, education, and income.  Numerical data and narrative summaries are included.