Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, announces the kick-off of Somerset County’s 2025-2027 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at a virtual meeting from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. All community members are invited to join this important meeting where the goals, timeline, roles /responsibilities and data gathering methods for the CHNA process will be discussed.
The CHNA is the collection of wide-ranging community health data, gathered through a quantitative and qualitative process over several months. Data is collected from various organizations, surveys, interviews and focus groups representing demographic groups from across Somerset County. The CHNA is the first step in the development of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a long-term strategic planning tool that identifies a community’s priority health issues and outlines a recommended action plan to address those needs.
Typically developed every three years, a CHIP guides community decision-making related to health improvement, by providing a vision for the health of the community and a framework for organizations to utilize in developing services and programs to improve the health of the community. Development of a CHIP is completed by nonprofit hospitals like RWJUH Somerset, in partnership with community partners such as the Healthier Somerset Coalition and is designed to ensure that community-based programming is aligned with the community needs, as well as to meet necessary requirements under the Affordable Care Act.
Healthier Somerset, a community coalition convened in 2010 by RWJUH Somerset to improve the health and well-being of all who live and work in Somerset County, is spearheading the development process for the 2025-2027 CHNA.
“The Community Health Needs Assessment is a crucial step in identifying the health needs of our community,” explained Serena Collado, Director of Community Health at RWJUH Somerset and Convener of Healthier Somerset. “We welcome all community input to help ensure your voices are heard and your needs are represented.”
Pre-registration is not required to participate in the kick-off meeting on Feb. 20. To join the virtual meeting, please visit https://bit.ly/3I2kpQg.