WVDHHR > Center for Local Health > Data and QI > Community Health Assessment > Frameworks and Tools

Frameworks and Tools

Frameworks and toolkits for community health assessment, improvement, and planning provide support and guidance for addressing one or more of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) prerequisites for accreditation (community health assessment, community health improvement plan, and strategic plan). A handful of the processes available for community health assessment and health improvement planning are listed in the table below. Agencies are encouraged to use any of the following frameworks as a foundation, and modify them as necessary to fit their organizations' and communities' needs.

Framework	Description
Assessing Community Needs and Resources Toolkit	Community Tool Box provides a variety of resources for community health improvement. The Assessing Community Needs and Resources Toolkit outlines six steps for assessing community needs, and provides examples and related resources. In addition, Chapters 3, 4, and 5 in the Learn a Skill Table of Contents provide in-depth guidance related to community health.
Community Health Assessment and Group Evaluation (CHANGE)	The CHANGE tool, produced by CDC, is a resource for data collection and planning for those who want to improve the health of their communities. It consists of five phases: Commitment, Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
Community Health Assessment Toolkit	The Association for Community Health Improvement designed this toolkit to assist in conducting community health assessments. While the nine-step process was designed for hospitals, it has a strong focus on community engagement and the process may be modified for local health agencies. The nine steps are: Reflect and Strategize, Identify and Engage Stakeholders, Define the Community, Collect and Analyze Data, Prioritize Community Health Issues, Document and Communicate Results, Plan Implementation Strategies, Implement Strategies, and Evaluate Progress.
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Action Center	The Action Center includes key activities to improve the health of communities. Each Action Step includes information on the purpose of the step, key activities, and additional resources. The Assess Needs & Resources page may be especially useful. There are also Partner Guides for various sectors, including government and public health.
MAP-IT	MAP-IT stands for Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, and Track. It helps communities plan to reach goals outlined in the Healthy People 2020 objectives. Each step of the MAP-IT process has its own webpage, which includes questions to ask and answer, Healthy People 2020 Tools, field notes, toolkits, and other resources.
Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP)	MAPP is a community-driven strategic planning tool for improving community health designed to be facilitated by public health leaders. There are six MAPP phases: Organizing, Visioning, Assessments, Strategic Issues, Goals/Strategies, and Action Cycle. You can find an overview of each phase, as well as additional guidance and/or trainings, on the MAPP website.
Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH)	PATCH is a model for community health planning, developed by the CDC with local and state health departments in the mid-1980s. Its goal is to increase the capacity of communities to plan, implement, and evaluate programs that address priority health problems.

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