HSC 300 Stratford University Community Health Needs Assessment Discussion

Lesson 2

Activity 1: Conducting a Needs Assessment

Based on what you have learned about conducting a needs assessment, and the community you have determined to use, design a needs assessment survey. Use the checklist to help focus your survey.

Activity 2: Determine who will complete the survey and how it will be conducted. Your team will carry out the survey with the identified population. Be sure that the population is appropriate for the survey and for the assessment that the chosen community needs.

Activity 3: Conducting Focus Groups

Together develop standardized interview questions to use with focus groups to determine needs of the community. Use the checklist and examples to help focus your discussion.

Be sure that the focus group questions are relevant to the problem and audience.

Project Assignment:

Conduct a needs assessment of a chosen community (may be local, a city, or even a state). The needs assessment should be thorough and follow the guide in the Community Tool Box

It should also include a survey of a minimum of 20 participants in the targeted audience and a focus group.

Task 2

What is a Needs Assessment

Review examples of community needs assessments:

City of Portsmouth Health Needs Assessment and

Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters needs Assessment

Assessment done for a local children’s hospital, actually performed by a contractor. Note the level of detail compared with the Portsmouth City document.

Review Conducting Needs Assessment Surveys

Take a look at some other examples of community health assessments by “Googling” Community Health Assessment and peruse some of the top needs/health threats noted. Do you notice any trends? Write up a short list of Health threats common to all these assessments.