Review of Community Health Needs Assessment for Increasing Awareness and Reducing Disparities
Healthcare disparities/inequities have been identified as a critical aspect of healthcare quality and included as part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER). As one would expect, addressing healthcare disparities is a universal challenge requiring the collaboration of GME educators and leaders. This chapter describes a workshop approach that can bring together GME educators, healthcare system leaders, and other learners to share strategies and promote engagement in clinical site initiatives that act to address healthcare disparities. The session begins with a short presentation about health disparities, care inequities, and social determinants to set the stage. Through a mini-didactic and a hands-on experience, participants are then introduced to the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Small groups work together to review and critique the CHNA and then to create a strategy for addressing a health equity issue described in the CHNA. The workshop in this chapter takes about 60-90 minutes to implement and can be used for small or large groups across the continuum of medical education.
