Partnership is a powerful way to amplify community-based organizations’ reach and impact.

Nonprofits teaming up with healthcare systems to tackle critical community challenges using a data-driven approach is one example of this type of collaboration. These collaborations are often most successful when they are guided by a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA).  

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires that all healthcare systems with nonprofit status conduct a CHNA for their service areas. 

The IRS defines the CHNA requirements for hospitals: 

• Describe who lives in the community and who the hospital serves. 
• Ask community members what they see as the most important health issues. 
• Review data to understand the actual health problems affecting the community. 
• Look at what programs and services already exist to address these problems. 
• Create a three-year plan that brings the community together to tackle the remaining health issues and work toward better overall health. 
• Make the CHNA report widely available to the public.

The insights collected from a CHNA help guide shared priorities and inform collaborative strategies to support healthier, more vibrant communities. You can learn more from Community Commons about the type of information you might gain.

A well-executed CHNA serves as a powerful framework for strengthening partnerships between community-based nonprofits and local health systems.

Seek out and contact the Community Benefits Director from your local health system to ask what data they hold and how your nonprofit’s focus areas connect to the needs their assessment identified.

Beyond CHNAs and data, check out these suggestions for building partnerships that work from Forbes:  5 Ways For Healthcare Nonprofits To Partner For Successful Outcomes.