Frequently Asked Questions
Local Public Health Assessment and Planning
1. What is the Local Public Health Assessment and Planning Process?
The Minnesota Local Public Health Assessment and Planning process is the revised version of the process you previously knew as Community Health Assessment and Action Planning (CHAAP), used between 2005 and 2009.
Changes were made to this previous assessment and planning process based on input from local public health through SCHSAC (the State Community Health Services Advisory Committee).
SCHSAC recommended that the 2010-2014 Local Public Health Assessment and Planning Process be aligned with national public health accreditation standards [Attn: Non-MDH link]. The standards represent a national consensus on the core functions and essential services of local, state, and tribal public health departments, and largely reflect existing practice in Minnesota. The standards provide a new framework and opportunity to improve Minnesota's local public health performance improvement system.
< Return to the top of the page
2. Why do it?
Assessment and planning is sound public health practice, and is a national standard for public health practice.
The Minnesota Local Public Health Assessment and Planning process continues to fulfill the statutory requirements of the Local Public Health Act of 2003 (Minn. Stat. ยง 145A.10, subd. 5a).
The Local Public Health Act requires Community Health Boards (CHBs) to:
- Complete an assessment of community health needs and assets
- Establish local public health priorities based on identified community health needs and assets
- Seek and integrate community input in the community health assessment and prioritization
- Determine the mechanisms by which the CHB will address local public health priorities to achieve statewide outcomes within the limits of available funding
< Return to the top of the page
3. What are the differences between Local Public Health Assessment and Planning and CHAAP?
For a diagram of the planning components described below, please visit Process and Guidance.
- The Organizational Self-Assessment, formerly called the capacity assessment, is now based on a self-study of national accreditation standards
- The Community Health Assessment allows for a greater emphasis on involving and engaging community partners than in the past. Developing a community health assessment requires forging partnerships with other organizations to access data, provide various analytical perspectives, present data and findings, and use data together
- The Community Health Improvement Plan is the community's plan for itself (instead of the health department's plan for the community), and the entire plan must be submitted to MDH
- The organizational Strategic Plan and the organizational Quality Improvement Plan are new requirements, replacing the three CHAAP improvement plans that had included at least one community health and one capacity plan, in order to meet national accreditation standards
- MDH will not collect the community engagement plan as during the previous CHAAP process; instead, this process addresses community engagement as a component of the Community Health Improvement Plan
- All deliverables will be reported at the end of the 2010-2014 cycle, by February 2015
< Return to the top of the page
4. What do CHBs need to submit to MDH as part of this process?
Five deliverables will be reported to MDH at the end of 2010-2014 assessment and planning cycle, by February 2015. MDH will establish a reporting period for CHBs to submit their prioritized lists and plans online. Deliverables will not be accepted prior to this period.
For a diagram of the deliverables described below, please visit Process and Guidance.
- Three Standards Most in Need of Improvement (from the Organizational Self-Assessment); reported by CHBs
- Ten Areas of Greatest Community Health Need (from the Community Health Assessment); reported by CHBs
- Community Health Improvement Plan
- Organizational Strategic Plan
- Organizational Quality Improvement Plan
The first two deliverables, Three Standards Most in Need of Improvement and Ten Areas of Greatest Community Health Need, will be reported by CHBs. Compiling the data at the CHB level provides a snapshot of system capacity and community health needs, and allows for regional and state comparison.
Multi-county CHBs are encouraged to collaborate, conduct their assessment and planning processes, and submit the three plans listed above as CHBs. If that is not feasible, MDH will accept plans from local health departments.
< Return to the top of the page
5. Why is it important to align with national public health accreditation standards if my CHB does not plan to apply for accreditation?
National public health accreditation standards define good public health practice, and achieving the standards will improve performance and ultimately public health outcomes. According to the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), these standards are the required level of achievement for a health department, and are "the foundation for a shared commitment to integrate standards, measures, quality improvement, and reporting into core operations." PHAB was created as a result of the Exploring Accreditation project, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
In addition, the SCHSAC Performance Improvement and Accreditation Workgroup has recommended:
MDH and CHBs should work together so that all CHBs are prepared to apply for voluntary national accreditation by 2015.
< Return to the top of the page
6. Will MDH provide a template for plans that should be submitted as part of this process?
MDH will provide CHBs with examples and instructions for plans. Please note:
- There is no required or suggested format or suggested length for the Strategic Plan, the Quality Improvement Plan, or the Community Health Improvement Plan.
- CHBs may find it helpful to consult the national public health accreditation standards [Attn: Non-MDH link] which provide guidance on what should be included in plans. Please refer to standards 1.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 9.2. Guidance and technical assistance provided by MDH is grounded in the national public health accreditation standards, and will reflect plan requirements.
- The Six Areas of Public Health Responsibility remain as an optional framework to describe the work of public health, and to organize community health assessments and improvement plans.
< Return to the top of the page
7. What if my CHB already submitted Three Standards in Need of Improvement as part of the Fall 2011 self-assessment project funded by MDH?
The Three Standards must be submitted during the reporting period in February 2015 as part of the assessment and planning process, regardless of whether you participated in the Fall 2011 MDH self-assessment project.
However, you may submit the Three Standards your team developed for the Fall 2011 program in February 2015, unless your CHB chooses to complete another self-assessment prior to February 2015 to determine progress made from the initial self-assessment.
For a detailed diagram of the planning and reporting timeline, visit Process and Guidance.
< Return to the top of the page
8. How will MDH review the Community Health Improvement Plan, the Strategic Plan, and the Quality Improvement Plan?
MDH will review plans to determine completeness; MDH will not review plan content (e.g., child health or tobacco reduction best practices).
In reviewing completeness, MDH will follow a criteria checklist, which will be available to CHBs as you create your plans. MDH will use the review process to help determine training and technical assistance needs.
< Return to the top of the page
9. How are the Community Health Improvement Plan, the Strategic Plan, and the Quality Improvement Plan linked?
PHAB specifically states that these plans should be connected, and MDH will provide guidance as to how to best make these connections:
- The Strategic Plan focuses on a range of organizational goals, strategies, and objectives, including the organization's role and responsibilities for implementing the Community Health Improvement Plan (Measure 5.3.2A).
- The Quality Improvement Plan identifies specific operations and areas within the organization in need of improvement, and supports the Strategic Plan.
- The Strategic Plan need not link to all elements of the Community Health Improvement Plan or Quality Improvement Plan, but it must show where linkages are appropriate for effective planning and implementation.
< Return to the top of the page
10. Nonprofit hospitals are now required to conduct community health assessments. How do these assessments relate to the Minnesota Local Public Health Assessment and Planning process?
As a part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a private nonprofit hospital is required to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment to maintain its tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) status; this requirement applies to tax years beginning after March 23, 2012.
This new requirement provides an opportunity for CHBs to engage their local non-profit hospitals in the assessment and planning process. Both entities can work together to perform one assessment and plan, or each can continue to draft their own. MDH encourages CHBs to work together with community partners when possible.
A nonprofit hospital must complete a community health assessment at least every three years; this assessment includes input from the broader community, including public health experts. If a hospital identifies specific community needs during the assessment process, it must either describe the implementation of appropriate interventions, or state why these needs cannot be addressed.
Upon completion, hospitals must make these assessments widely available, including via IRS Form 990 (currently being revised).
Collaborating on a community health assessment can provide the following benefits to both hospitals and CHBs:
- Allows hospitals and CHBs to share data and expertise
- Increases the quality and consistency of the assessment process
- Engages additional partners in assessment
- Creates shared accountability for community outcomes
- Increases trust and relationship-building in the community
- Helps prevent "engagement fatigue" among community partners
- Fulfills national public health accreditation standards
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) [Attn: Non-MDH link] must also complete a similar needs assessment at least every five years, to demonstrate understanding of the target community's health care needs, as well as to inform the FQHC's service strategy.
Resources
- Minnesota Hospital Association: Community Needs Assessment
[Attn: Non-MDH link] - MDH: Federally Qualified Health Centers
< Return to the top of the page
11. Who should I contact with questions?
For more information, please visit Questions and Assistance.