Community Health Improvement Navigator – A New Resource for Community Benefit
By Melissa Biel
Tags: community benefit, nonprofit hospitals, community health, collaboration, evidenced-based practice, community health needs assessment
The CDC has launched a helpful new resource available for community benefit practice and community health improvement called the Community Health Improvement Navigator. “Community health improvement (CHI) is a process to identify and address the health needs of communities. Because working together has a greater impact on health and economic vitality than working alone, CHI brings together health care, public health, and other stakeholders to consider high-priority actions to improve community health.” www.cdc.gov/chinav/index.html
A number of resources center on four tenets to guide community health improvement:
- Work Together
- Communicate
- Engage the Community
- Sustain Improvement Results
A set of tools are provided to assist with the steps for a successful CHI process. These steps are:
- Assess needs and resources
- Focus on what’s important
- Choose effective policies and programs
- Act on what’s important
- Evaluation actions
One especially useful component of the Community Health Improvement Navigator is the Database of Indicators (www.cdc.gov/chinav/database/index.html). This tool focuses on four action areas—socioeconomic factors, physical environment, health behaviors, and clinical care. It provides a database of best practice and evidence-based interventions for community programs.
The CDC has succeeded in developing an easy-to-navigate site that highlights proven resources. I encourage you to take a look around the CHI Navigator. Community Benefit Connect will provide links to the site through the related steps of the CB Process. www.communitybenefitconnect.org/cb-process/
