Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment
The Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), a unique collaborative led by Central Maine Healthcare, EMHS, MaineGeneral, MaineHealth, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (Maine CDC), is pleased to announce the launch of the 2019 Shared CHNA.
According to Doug Michael, Chief Community Health Officer with EMHS, “Our shared mission is to promote data-driven health improvements for all Maine people. This unique partnership is a first in the nation that brings all Maine hospitals and public health agencies together to provide our communities with common data, trends, and host community conversations that foster stewardship and meaningful local solutions.”
The CHNA collaborative has contracted with John Snow, Inc. (JSI) to conduct data analysis and support the community engagement process.
Health Data Profiles are scheduled to be released in August, 2018. These almost 200 indicators have been selected to describe the health outcomes, health behaviors, healthcare access and quality, and the social, community, and physical environment that affect our health.
Forums and other outreach are scheduled to be held between September 2018 and January, 2019. Data will be used as conversation starters at local forums. Forums will be followed by key informant interviews and a community health survey. The purpose of this outreach is to gather feedback on the data, identify health priorities and community assets that can be used in health improvement planning.
Final CHNA reports are scheduled to be released in March of 2019. These reports will include the information from the Health Profiles along with summaries from forums, key informant interviews, and the survey to create a state, county, and public health district level reports.
The Maine Shared CHNA website (www.mainechna.org) will support this effort by posting forum schedules, local contacts, and when ready, a data user portal for users to create their own data reports to suit their needs. The website will also host the final CHNA reports. Check back often for continuing updates.
Local committees are planning community outreach now. To get involved, click here (http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/phdata/MaineCHNA/contact-us.shtml) to contact one of the local CHNA contacts in your county.
Funding for the Maine Shared CHNA is provided by the partnering healthcare systems with generous in-kind support from the Maine CDC and countless community partners.
