1As part of several new requirements under the Affordable Care Act, tax-exempt hospitals are required to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) and adopt an implementation strategy at least every three years to maintain their tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status. CHNAs must include input from the broader community and be made available to the public. This requirement applies to tax years beginning after March 23, 2012. Details about the community health needs assessment requirement can be found on the Internal Revenue Service’s Web site.
NJHA’s Health Research and Educational Trust is committed to supporting hospitals and other healthcare organizations in every step of the assessment and implementation process by providing them with a menu of educational resources and services, including county health data, a series of educational Webinars and workshops and instructional guides.
County Health Profiles 2012 Edition
Designed as a health planning and benchmarking tool, HRET’s County Health Profiles provide a snapshot of the demographic and healthcare landscape in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. It includes data on more than 350 different demographics and socioeconomic measures as well as health and healthcare indicators.
CHNA Educational Webinar Series
Since December 2010, HRET has offered a series of educational Webinars covering a range of topics such as: setting up attainable goals/objectives and partnering with key stakeholders; collecting data on the county/local health profile; prioritizing identified health needs and adopting best practices for community engagement and implementation plans.
The recordings of archived webinars are available at either no cost or for a minimal fee. To purchase a recording, contact HRET Research at research@njha.com with your request, your contact information and the full title of the Webinar.
Educational Tools and Resources
HRET offers instructional guides and resources to help hospitals complete the entire CHNA process, including how-to guides for assessing the community’s health, information about the elements of the CHNA model, critical data indicators and statistical data resources, appropriate database systems, software and programs, as well as assessment samples, key informant interview forms and other data collection tips and strategies.
Related Resources: Legislative and Regulatory Details
