This application is now closed. We received more applicants than we have capacity for in this learning collaborative. Applicants will receive an email confirming whether you have been selected to participate in the learning collaborative by 4/25.

Overview

Are you planning for your Health Center’s HRSA-required Needs Assessment and don’t know where to start? 

Join NACHC for its second Planning Your Health Center Community Needs Assessment Learning Collaborative.  

Conducting your community needs assessment is an essential part of being a Health Center. In addition to being a HRSA program requirement, the needs assessment is a valuable opportunity to identify, map, and prioritize the needs of your patients, staff, and community. 

This 4-week training opportunity will walk your Health Center through the process of planning your needs assessment.  Upon completion of this Learning Collaborative, your Health Center with emerge with a draft workplan for implementing your Community Needs Assessment. 

Apply for this learning collaborative here.  

*We will admit participants to the learning collaborative on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis. 

Workshop Schedule  

All workshops are scheduled for 2:00-3:30pm ET

• The Basics: Health Center Program Requirements and Key Design Considerations (May 1, 2025 
• It’s Data Time: Identifying Methodologies, Tools, and Resources (May 8, 2025) 
• Partner, Partner, Partner: Identifying Strategic Partners for Collaboration and Service Delivery (May 15, 2025) 
• Finding Your North Star: Structuring your Needs Assessment to Support your Strategic Planning and Inform Operational Decision-Making (May 22, 2025) 

Audience

• This Learning Collaborative is designed for 330-Funded or Look-Alike Health Centers  
• Health center staff directly engaged in needs assessment work or decision-making around the needs assessment are invited to attend.  
• Health centers are invited to submit up to three (3) staff to attend the Learning Collaborative. Space is limited and not all who apply will be accepted. 

Learning Collaborative Objectives 

• Provide a venue to interact, dialogue, and learn from health center colleagues. 
• Describe practical methodologies, tools, and strategies utilized by health centers to plan and execute community needs assessments that support strategic planning. 
• Identify additional areas and issues for which health centers further needs assessment-related resources and/or training and technical assistance support. 
• Have fun! 

Faculty

• National Association of Community Health Centers 

  • Ted Henson, Director, Health Center Growth & Development 
  • Jamie Reich, Specialist, Health Center Growth & Development 

• National Association of County and City Health Officials 

  • Anna Clayton, MPH, Senior Program Analyst 
  • Zahra Ehtesham, MPH, Program Analyst, Public Health Infrastructure and Systems  

• Dora Correal, Director of Community Access, Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health, Phoenix, AZ  
• Rachel Sacks, President, Leading Healthy Futures 
• Rodrigo Stein, Director of Health Equity and Strategic Partnerships, La Clínica del Pueblo

Workshop Overview 

Workshop #1 - May 1, 2025: The Basics: Health Center Program Requirements and Key Design Considerations  

Where do we begin? This kick-off workshop will highlight the various components of your needs assessment and help you plan the scope of your needs assessment. We will review HRSA’s Health Center Program Requirements on needs assessments and highlight strategies and considerations for selecting your service area. This session will also walk you through identifying your internal team and where you might need extra support and capacity for implementing your needs assessment. 

Workshop #2 - May 8, 2025: It’s Data Time: Identifying Methodologies, Tools, and Resources 

The second workshop will provide an overview of a mixed methods approach you can leverage in your needs assessment. We will highlight different quantitative methods – i.e. patient data and publicly available data sets – in addition to various qualitative methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc. This workshop will highlight several key data tools such as the GeoCare Navigator, CDC Data, Policy Map, etc and allow participants an opportunity to practice using the tools. Staff from a health center in D.C. will share a case study on their approach to needs assessment through a participatory lens. 

Workshop #3 - May 15, 2025: Partner, Partner, Partner: Identifying Strategic Partners for Collaboration and Service Delivery 

Why reinvent the wheel? Health centers can collaborate with other organizations conducting needs assessments such as health departments and hospitals to reduce their overall staff and resource burden. This workshop will feature staff from the National Association of County and City Health Officials who will highlight their Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) 2.0 tool. Staff from a Health Center in Arizona will highlight how they have leveraged MAPP to conduct their needs assessment. 
 

Workshop #4 - May 22, 2025: Finding Your North Star: Structuring your Needs Assessment to Support your Strategic Planning and Inform Operational Decision-Making 

The needs assessment is just the beginning! As your Health Center engages with your community and identifies the most pressing needs, it is critical that you leverage all the data you are collecting to inform your strategic plan. The Strategic Plan outlines your Health Center’s goals and priorities, and this process will inform critical documents such as your Scope of Project and Form 5A and Form 5B. It is also critical to leverage your needs assessment to dialogue with other community partners and potential funders. This last workshop will highlight how you can roll up your sleeves and get to work! 

Questions about the Learning Collaborative can be sent to: Jamie Reich at jreich@nachc.org