How should states interpret the requirement for “area health assessment?” Is there an expectation that a statewide needs assessment has been completed before applying for implementation?
All applicants, including states should interpret “area” to mean the entire area to be served by the proposal (e.g., counties larger than 500,000, states, rest of state exclusive of independently eligible areas, tribes or territories). All Capacity Building applicants are required to “describe plans for implementing an area-wide community health needs assessment and policy scan including identifying populations experiencing health disparities; assessing rates of chronic disease risk factors; identifying opportunities and barriers to change; and engaging populations experiencing health disparities, including populations in rural and frontier areas, if applicable.” Capacity Building award recipients MUST complete a community health assessment to be eligible to request an Implementation award. If an applicant has the appropriate data and information available to fully describe their population and sub-populations on the above factors, they may be ready to apply for implementation funding,
