Community Health Needs Assessment Resources

The Oklahoma Office of Rural Health (OORH) works closely with and facilitates Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) for rural hospitals across the state. The CHNA process was adopted to meet the regulatory requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The regulations stipulate that 501(c)(3) hospitals (not-for-profit facilities) who submit an IRS Schedule H, Form 990 must complete a CHNA every three years. The general idea behind the needs assessment is to gather community input that leads to recommendations of how the local hospital and health sector as a whole can better serve their residents.

The CHNA process includes four community meetings with broad representation from the local community and patients served.  It is imperative that those representing public health and those who represent or work closely with minority or low-income populations be included in the process. Deliverables from the process include:

• A demographic analysis of the hospital’s medical service area;
• An economic impact of the health sector;
• An analysis of county-specific health indicators and outcomes;
• A community survey of health care services and utilization;
• A primary care physician demand analysis; and
• A comprehensive final report that documents all methodology, health concerns identified and prioritized, and an implementation plan.

The OORH has completed the CHNA process for hospitals listed below arranged by year completed. View the 2018 Summary Report and 2019 Summary Report.

For more information about completing a CHNA, please contact the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health, 405-840-6500, Lara Brooks (lara.brooks@okstate.edu) or Corie Kaiser (corie.kaiser@okstate.edu).