Community Health Assessment & Health Improvement Planning: Assessment & Planning Models, Frameworks & Tools
Common Elements of Assessment and Planning Frameworks
Most assessment and planning frameworks include steps or phases that reflect the following actions, some of which may occur simultaneously:
- Organize and plan
- Engage the community
- Develop a goal or vision
- Conduct community health assessment(s)
- Prioritize health issues
- Develop community health improvement plan
- Implement and monitor community health improvement plan
- Evaluate process and outcomes
Differences Among Assessment & Planning Frameworks
Assessment and planning frameworks differ in various ways:
- Types of data, recommended sources, and specific indicators for each (quantitative, qualitative, primary, secondary)
- Which community groups are engaged and how
- The sophistication of the model and the length of time that might be required to undertake the process
- Whether the framework is broadly comprehensive or focuses more directly on certain kinds of data and issues, i.e., chronic disease or environmental health
- The lead organization that the tool or framework is focused toward, i.e., hospital leadership or public health agency leadership
Most tools emphasize the importance of broad stakeholder and community engagement and can be used by any type of lead organization. Frameworks can also be blended to create a model that addresses your particular community’s needs. Note: The following list of planning models is not exhaustive but reflects some of the most well-defined resources and frequently used models.
| Commonly Used Planning Models, Frameworks & Tools | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model | Author, Date Released or Updated | Brief Description |
| Association for Community Health Improvement, Community Health Assessment toolkit | American Hospital Association, updated 2017 |
|
| Catholic Health Association | Catholic Hospital Association, updated 2012 |
|
| Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) | National Association of County and City Health Officials and CDC, 2001 |
|
| State Health Improvement Planning (SHIP) Guidance and Resources | Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and CDC, 2011 |
|
| Focused Planning Models, Frameworks & Tools | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model | Author, Date Released or Updated | Brief Description |
| Community Health Assessment and Group Evaluation (CHANGE) [PDF – 5.12MB] | CDC, updated 2010 |
|
| Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE-EH) | National Association of County and City Health Officials and CDC, 2000 |
|
More Tools for the Assessment & Improvement Process
CDC Evaluation Framework
Within CDC’s Office of the Associate Director for Program, the Program Evaluation Unit sets standards for agency-wide evaluation; delivers technical assistance and resources to enhance evaluation efforts; and supports evaluation capacity-building across CDC programs.
Community Toolbox
Free, practical information on essential skills for building healthy communities. Outlines a dynamic and iterative process with six phases, and related competencies, associated with facilitating community change and improvement.
Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide)
Free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in your community
Healthy People 2030
Healthy People provides 10-year, measurable public health objectives and tools to help track progress toward achieving them. Healthy People identifies public health priorities to help individuals, organizations, and communities across the United States improve health and well-being. Healthy People is frequently used within community health assessment and health improvement planning processes.
Institute of Medicine Community Health Improvement Process
Framework for promoting community health which may also be used as a model for creating healthy communities. Comprehensive, community-based view of health and starts with an inclusive, participatory, community-based coalition or coordinating group.
—Institute of Medicine. Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1997.
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Resource Center for Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans
Practical, customizable tools and resources for local health departments in a central and publicly accessible location. Supports local health departments and their partners as they complete community health improvement processes, including the conduct of a community health assessment and the development of a community health improvement plan.
National Public Health Performance Standards (NPHPS)
National partnership initiative that maintains performance standards and assessment tools for state and local public health systems and for public health governing entities. This is often a component of a state or local health improvement process.
Principles of Community Engagement
Provides public health professionals, health-care providers, researchers, and community-based leaders and organizations with both a science base and practical guidance for engaging partners in projects that may affect them.