Detailed Needs Assessment Information

Charting the Course has evolved to far exceed the state requirements and is broadly distributed to health care organizations, libraries, businesses, policymakers and others who have an interest in health. It represents the true value of CHIP's collaborations by evaluating and communicating health status in terms that both health professionals and the broader community can utilize.

The assessment integrates information from:

• Health-related statistics gathered and analyzed by the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.
• Health-related scientific literature.
• Results of facilitated discussions held with focus groups representing a cross-section of age, ethnic, geographic, and special interest groups.
• Results of a priority-setting process used by CHIP members to rank competing health issues using objective rating scales related to the health issue's size, seriousness and level of community concern.

Our experience shows that communities can be effective in addressing deep-rooted and complex issues when many segments of the community work together. Charting the Course is designed as a tool that our community can use to addresses problem issues. More specifically, the assessment can be used too:

• Identify areas of progress where we can learn about the principles of effective prevention and intervention efforts.
• Increase awareness of problem health issues including both county-wide issues and demographic health disparities.
• Provide information and supporting data to improve our understanding of the issues in order to better implement solutions.
• Serve as a catalyst for action.

Who uses the Needs Assessment

Historically, local hospitals, county agencies, key stakeholders, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations have all used the assessment to plan, implement or justify their programs and services.

New to Charting the Course VI is a Phase II report that will translate information into action in order to better enable communities, organizations, hospitals, consumer groups and others to establish and monitor preventative health programs in their communities.

Some critical information the Phase II report are likely to address include:

• Determining the underlying behavioral, social, economic or other, conditions that contribute to an unsatisfactory health outcome.
• Identifying community resources and existing efforts focused on these priority health concerns.
• Identifying service gaps and underserved populations or communities.
• Identifying issue areas where future initiatives, coalitions or partnership are needed and lead partnership building efforts.
• Suggesting ways to incorporate input from representatives from underserved populations or communities into proposed interventions
• Helping to develop a comprehensive community plan that integrates state-of-the-art knowledge; possible measurable outcomes and milestones; and potential partnerships for program implementation.