A community health needs assessment (CHNA) is both the process and end product of identifying and prioritizing a community’s health needs, accomplished by collecting and analyzing inputs, including the voices of community stakeholders, as well as public health and internal aggregate patient data. It then informs the development of strategies and plans to address prioritized needs and to improve the community’s health. At its core, a CHNA guides work to improve the overall health of the community a hospital serves, with a focus on those facing particular barriers to accessing care or experiencing health inequities.

Every three years, hospitals and health agencies across northeast Georgia conduct this work together. Northeast Georgia Health System leads this effort and, in 2025, its five hospitals partnered with Stephens County Hospital, District 2 Public Health, and Good News Clinics on the region’s CHNA. These organizations examined the data, gathered community input, and reviewed progress since the last cycle to understand the region’s health needs. These findings guide the partners’ work to improve community health across the region.