From CHA to CHIP: Your Roadmap to PHAB Readiness

Achieving Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation requires a clear connection between your Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The CHA and CHIP serve as interconnected phases of one strategic planning cycle. Success depends on authentic partnerships, data-driven decision-making, and clear documentation. This roadmap guides you through four essential phases to…

California’s Rural Health Transformation Program: What Counties, Providers, and CBOs Need to Know

California is receiving $233 million in federal funding to transform rural health care — and applications are open now, with most windows closing by the end of August. Given the program’s performance-contingent structure, strong evaluation and reporting is the mechanism through which California and its grantees will protect future funding.  This blog details what that…

5 Lessons We’ve Learned About Community Engagement in the CHNA Process

Community engagement is one of the most important components of the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) process. Federal requirements mandate that nonprofit hospitals solicit input from specific stakeholder groups—but over the years, we’ve come to see that the most meaningful CHNAs are built in the space between meeting the minimum standard and conducting engagement that…

The $50B Rural Health Transformation Program: What States Need to Know

The federal government is allocating $50 billion in rural health care funding to all states that apply. With half of funding tied to demonstrated performance year-over-year, states that invest early in planning, evaluation, and reporting will be best positioned to maximize their funding potential. What Is the Rural Health Transformation Program? On September 15, 2025,…

Project Spotlight: Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy in Southern California 

EVALCORP’s evaluation team has partnered with health systems in Southern California since 2018 to assess and improve the health of diverse communities. Through three comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) cycles and multiple Implementation Strategy (IS) engagements, our team has worked to identify, prioritize, and address the health challenges facing thousands of residents, while building…

What Is a Community Health Needs Assessment?

Nonprofit hospitals are federally required to conduct Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) every three years, a process that involves identifying and evaluating the health needs of the communities they serve while ensuring transparency and stakeholder involvement. CHNA evaluation for hospitals includes a systematic needs assessment with clear documentation of needs, assets, gaps, and resulting plans…