A community health needs assessment is an analysis of community health needs and assets. It is performed by examining population health data and seeking community input.

The federal Affordable Care Act, Section 501(r)(3) requires tax-exempt hospital facilities to conduct a CHNA at minimum once every three years, effective for tax years beginning after March 2012.

Through the Public Health Accreditation Board, local public health agencies now may achieve accreditation by meeting a set of standards. As part of the standards, they must complete a community health assessment and a Community Health Improvement Plan.

Coordinated care organizations serving the three counties in Oregon are required to meet Oregon Administrative Rules and Oregon Health Authority guidelines pertaining to the development of CHAs and CHIPs.

HCWC is a collaborative of local public health authorities, coordinated care organizations (CCOs) and other health systems, dedicated to advancing health equity in the quad-county region of Clark County in Washington, and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties in Oregon. It is a platform for collaboration around health improvement plans and activities that use combined resources to improve the health and well-being of local communities.

In 2010, local health care and public health leaders began to discuss the upcoming need for several community health assessments and health improvement plans within the quad-county region in response to the Affordable Care Act and Public Health Accreditation. They recognized that the most efficient and effective approach would be to create a work group responsible for conducting a regionwide community health assessment. With startup assistance from the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the Healthy Columbia Willamette Collaborative Leadership Group was developed.

In June 2013, Health Share of Oregon, the coordinated care organization serving the three counties in Oregon, joined HCWC in response to Oregon Administrative Rules and Oregon Health Authority guidelines pertaining to community health assessment and health improvement plans.

HCWC conducts community health needs assessments that inform health improvement plans of the participating hospitals, coordinated care organization and local public health authorities. These assessments are conducted every three years, with the most recent assessment completed July 2019.

This unified and comprehensive approach assesses the health needs of all community members to inform the health improvement plans of the participating organizations. It aims to eliminate duplicative efforts, prioritize needs, and enable collaborative efforts in implementing and tracking improvement activities. This collaborative approach enables the creation of an effective, sustainable process; stronger relationships between communities, CCOs, hospitals and public health; meaningful community health needs assessments; and results in a platform for collaboration around health improvement plans and activities that leverage collective resources to improve the health and well-being of the communities.

HCWC uses a modified version of the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships assessment model. The MAPP model uses health data and community input to identify the most important community health issues. HCWC refined this model by conducting the assessment simultaneously, allowing the health data and community input to inform each other.

Member organizations have incorporated HCWC's assessments into their individual community health needs assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans.

The Data Workgroup invited community members to participate as full members in the creation of the 2019 CHNA. Community members were vital assets to the group, providing invaluable insights. In addition, HCWC hosted four town halls and 18 listening sessions where more than 200 community members, leaders, and community-based organization staff provided input that was analyzed and included in the CHNA findings.

The Healthy Columbia Willamette Collaborative is committed to addressing health disparities and working with communities who are experiencing them. All phases of community engagement completed to date have built on information learned from vulnerable communities.