Core Competency: Addressing Community Needs

The goal of the Flex Program is to ensure high quality health care in rural communities that are aligned with community needs. There are multiple ways to understand community needs of CAHs, RHCs, and EMS agencies. This is essential in determining SDOH and other needs of the community CAHs and RHCs serve. Using existing data sources to find county specific data and doing some visual representation is helpful. CAHMPAS also has many other helpful tools to discover disparities around the SDOH. To gain greater insight into individual CAH community needs, conducting a CHNA is helpful. Keep in mind that a CHNA is a formal, systematic process that identifies and analyzes needs and assets. For CAHs, this drives local planning, decision making, and programs. Review rural health assessments conducted by the state’s Office of Rural Health for further information. Staying aware of community trends and gaps in care helps ensure population health projects are impactful to the population.

PROFICIENCIES:

Understand the SDOH and how they impact the current and future health care environment
Analyze data from CHNAs, CAHMPAS, and other sources to identify opportunities for addressing community needs
Utilize CHNAs and other data sources to identify opportunities for rural provider collaboration on population health improvement
Understand interventions that are impactful in addressing community needs