From Data to Action, Part 2: Turning Community Health Needs Assessments into Meaningful Change
In collaboration with the Emory Prevention Research Center (EPRC), Healthy Nonprofit Network recently hosted a two-part webinar series on Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs).
The second session featured Dr. Jennifer Williams, Chief Community Engagement and Health Impact Officer for Phoebe Putney Health System in Southwest Georgia.
Drawing on her experience leading CHNAs across a 42-county service area, Dr. Williams shared practical lessons for community based organizations looking to better understand and respond to local needs.
Read on for a summary of highlights from the webinar.
Lesson 1: Community Assessment Is a Team Sport
While large healthcare systems, public health agencies, or consultants may often lead the formal assessment process, community-based organizations (CBOs) and small nonprofits remain essential partners. These organizations may serve on planning committees, host community listening sessions or focus groups, help recruit participants, distribute surveys, and provide valuable insight into the needs and experiences of the people they serve.
Dr. Williams emphasized that community health needs assessments (CHNAs) are much more than data collection exercises or regulatory requirements. At their best, they are opportunities to listen deeply, build trust, strengthen partnerships, and create action plans that improve community well-being.
Potential partners include:
- Community-based organizations
- Faith communities
- Schools and educational institutions
- Local government agencies
- Healthcare providers
- Community residents themselves
For Phoebe Putney’s assessment process, churches played a particularly important role in helping connect with residents across Southwest Georgia. Community partners helped recruit participants, host listening sessions, distribute surveys, and ensure that a wide range of voices were represented throughout the process.
This offers an important reminder: Relationships built before an assessment begins often determine the quality of information gathered during the process.
Lesson 2: Data Tells a Story & Listening Brings It to Life
Methodology
As a well-designed CHNA, Phoebe Putney’s assessment combined quantitative and qualitative methods, including:
- Demographic and socioeconomic data analysis
- Surveys
- Focus groups
- Community listening sessions
While statistical data revealed trends related to health, education, food insecurity, and transportation challenges, Dr. Williams emphasized that community listening sessions provided some of the richest insights. Residents shared experiences that helped explain the realities behind the numbers.
In fact, the value of these conversations was so significant that the assessment team chose to continue hosting regular community listening sessions even after the formal CHNA was completed. What began as a data-gathering activity evolved into an ongoing community engagement strategy.
Your organization’s relationships may be one of the most valuable assets in a needs assessment. Community members are often more willing to participate and share honest feedback with trusted local organizations than with larger institutions
Lesson 3: Cast the Net Wide
One challenge discussed was that reaching residents across a large geographic region required flexibility, including virtual engagement options, targeted outreach efforts, and partnerships with trusted community organizations.
A needs assessment is not just about collecting enough responses—it is about hearing from the people affected by the issues.
Organizations should continuously ask:
- What barriers prevent participation?
- Whose voices are missing?
- How can we make engagement more accessible?
Even if you are not collecting data yourself, you can strengthen a needs assessment by helping connect residents to surveys, focus groups, and listening sessions, especially those whose perspectives might otherwise be missed.
Lesson 4: Build Trust Before Asking Questions
Dr. Williams reflected on the reality that residents may be hesitant to participate if they do not believe their feedback will lead to meaningful change. To address this challenge, Phoebe involved senior leadership directly in community listening sessions.
Rather than simply presenting information, leaders showed up to listen. This visible commitment demonstrated that community input was valued and helped strengthen relationships with residents.
Trust-building is not a one-time activity. It is ongoing work that requires transparency, consistency, and accountability.
Lesson 5: Priorities Should Be Actionable
An important part of every assessment is deciding which issues become organizational priorities.
The Phoebe team reviewed data with community benefit committees and considered not only which issues were most important, but also where the organization could realistically make a meaningful impact. While many concerns emerged, access to care and mental health consistently rose to the top across all three hospital service areas. These became key priorities because they represented both significant community needs and areas where the health system could drive measurable change.
This is a useful reminder that organizations do not need to tackle every challenge at once. Strategic focus can produce greater impact than an overly broad list of priorities
Lesson 6: Share Findings Back with the Community
Gathering information is only the beginning.
Dr. Williams emphasized the importance of sharing results through multiple channels, including local media, public presentations, organizational websites, and community meetings. Feedback from residents helped validate the identified priorities and reinforced the importance of continuing community engagement beyond the assessment process.
You can play a critical role after the assessment is complete by helping share findings with community members in accessible and meaningful ways.
As trusted local partners, small nonprofits and CBOs can help residents understand the results, validate priorities, and stay engaged in the actions that follow, turning assessment findings into community-driven change.
Lesson 7: Move from Assessment to Action
Data collection is not the finish line. The real value comes from using findings to:
- Strengthen programs
- Inform strategic planning
- Allocate resources effectively
- Build partnerships
- Advocate for policy and systems change
- Improve health and quality of life
Community assessments offer more than information. They provide a roadmap for making decisions that are responsive, evidence-informed, and community-centered.
Small nonprofits can use assessment findings to guide program planning, strengthen funding applications, build partnerships, and align services with documented community priorities.
When organizations listen carefully, engage authentically, and act intentionally, assessments become powerful tools for creating healthier communities.
Want to learn more?
Additional resources from Part 1 of the training series, Assessing Community Health Needs: Frameworks & Methods, are in an accompanying blog post.
Explore the Healthy Nonprofit Network Resource Library for other trainings, resources, and learning opportunities designed to help nonprofit leaders strengthen their organizations and increase their community impact.
Resource Category(ies): General Service Delivery and Impact