Community Health Needs Assessment

Evaluación de Necesidades de Salud Comunitaria

In 9 languages

LanguageTerm
EnglishCommunity Health Needs Assessment
Spanish (Español) Evaluación de Necesidades de Salud Comunitaria
Chinese (中文) 社区健康需求评估
Korean (한국어) 지역사회 건강 필요 평가
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) Đánh giá nhu cầu sức khỏe cộng đồng
Filipino (Tagalog) Pagsusuri ng Pangangailangan sa Kalusugan ng Komunidad
Portuguese (Português) Avaliação das Necessidades de Saúde da Comunidade
Thai (ภาษาไทย) การประเมินความต้องการด้านสุขภาพชุมชน
Japanese (日本語) 地域健康ニーズ評価

What it means

A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a study that nonprofit hospitals are federally required to complete every three years under IRS Section 501(r). The CHNA identifies the most significant health needs of the people in the hospital's service area, drawing on local public health data, input from community representatives, and feedback from underserved populations. After completing the assessment, the hospital must create and publicize an implementation strategy—a written plan explaining how it will address those needs. CHNAs are public documents, often posted on hospital websites or with the IRS on Form 990 Schedule H. Patients and community members can use them to understand a hospital's community benefit commitments and to advocate for improved services.

How to say it

Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:

I read the community health needs assessment to find out what programs the hospital offers.

Leí la evaluación de necesidades de salud comunitaria para saber qué programas ofrece el hospital.

The CHNA showed that mental health was the top need in our community.

La evaluación de necesidades de salud comunitaria mostró que la salud mental era la mayor necesidad en nuestra comunidad.

Nonprofit hospitals are required to update their community health needs assessment every three years.

Los hospitales sin fines de lucro están obligados a actualizar su evaluación de necesidades de salud comunitaria cada tres años.

Where you'll see it

hospital websiteIRS Form 990 Schedule Hhospital annual reportlocal public health department website

Related terms

Sources

US Glossary Español A–Z US Codes United States

Last reviewed: September 2026