NACo Announces Availability of Technical Assistance for Community Health Needs Assessments in Rural Counties

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NACo Announces Availability of Technical Assistance for Community Health Needs Assessments in Rural Counties

NACo is currently accepting applications from rural counties to receive technical assistance to assess their local health needs and improve and strengthen their health care delivery systems.

County officials and local health departments can be actively engaged in community health needs assessments, which the Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals to conduct to demonstrate they are taking on uncompensated care in their communities. County involvement in this process is important to help ensure that the health care safety net burden is shared among local providers. To help facilitate this process, Dr. Gerald Doeksen and Val Schott from the National Center for Rural Health Works have developed a community health needs assessment template designed specifically for rural areas.

NACo will grant a total of three technical assistance awards to rural counties on a competitive basis. Selected counties will work with the National Center for Rural Health Works consultants to implement the community health needs assessment tool to:

•  Identify local health care needs and factors affecting the local delivery of health care
• Assess the economic impact of the local health care sector and determine how the health care system can better meet community needs
• Strengthen relationships with community partners to improve local health care delivery

Applications are due April 29, 2011.  For more information, please click here for the announcement and click here for the application form and instructions, or visit the Training Opportunities section at www.naco.org/ruralhealth.