National Health Center Needs Assessment
Every three years, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) conducts a national health center needs assessment to inform the development of operational training and technical assistance (T/TA) needed by health centers in order to advance health center access, quality and impact. NACHC develops and deploys this effort in close collaboration with all HRSA-funded National Training & Technical Assistance Partners (NTTAPs).
Calendar Year 2021 Update – NACHC will be piloting the 2021 assessment for two weeks, from May 3 through May 17, 2021 to a pilot cohort of 50 health centers across the country. A national fielding will occur in late Summer 2021. NACHC conducts this project with cooperative agreement support from HRSA.
The ultimate goal of this assessment is to help health centers rebuild after the Novel Coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19) and ensure they are able to adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving health system. NACHC is therefore conducting this assessment, as a pilot, in partnership with the other NTTAPs in order to understand and address current health center needs, challenges, and priorities. The needs assessment is structured to allow the respondent to quickly identify and select needs across a variety of T/TA topics.
NACHC administered the 2018 National TTA Needs Assessment. Summary of results are presented in the infographics below:
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Health Center Resource Clearinghouse
Training & Technical Assistance materials that address health center needs can be found on the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse. This site is a collaborative effort of HRSA/BPHC and National Cooperative Agreement entities.
Needs Assessment State Profiles
State summaries of the 2018 needs assessment findings are provided below:
State did not meet the minimum threshold to receive an individual state profile based on the number of needs assessment responses.
State did not meet the minimum threshold to receive an individual state profile based on the number of needs assessment responses.
Voices from the Field
NACHC assesses the needs of health centers and stakeholders on an ongoing basis through multiple modes and methods. In addition to formal methods like quantitative needs assessment tools and qualitative focus groups, NACHC utilizes its’ conferences and convenings throughout the year to engage with health center providers, staff and administrators, Board members and patients as well as federal partners, state/regional Primary Care Associations, Health Center Controlled Networks and national Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) partners.
NACHC compiles, analyzes and summarizes the main themes from real-time input, including the reflections and ideas voiced from those closest to the health center program and most familiar with the successes, challenges, needs and opportunities within local health center settings and state-wide.
Recent thematic summaries of “Voices from the Field” are:
- Today, Tomorrow and Beyond: Priority Areas Summary Report (November 2019)
- Today, Tomorrow and Beyond: Priority Areas & Themes: Priority Areas Infographic (November 2019)
- Health Center Innovation of the Future (October 2019)
- What is the Health Center of the Future? (August 2019)
- Health Center Workforce Summit (March 2019)
- Transforming Health Center Performance (January 2019)
- What is the Health Center of the Future? HRSA-Facilitated Discussion (November 2018)