Community Health Assessment

Community Health Assessment (CHA)

Colorado public health departments are mandated through Colorado Senate Bill 194-Health Reauthorization Act to complete a comprehensive community health assessment every five years. Community Health Assessments look at various health data points to determine where health problems exist and what contributes to those problems. Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment (PDPHE) partners with various county-wide organizations and individuals to complete community health assessments. CHAs help inform the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)—a plan that sets up the community’s goals for the upcoming five years around health-related issues.

 

Community Health Improvement Plan

Joint CHA Partners

The 2024 CHA is the first assessment cycle that consisted of PDPHE working collaboratively and jointly with other key health systems in Pueblo County – joint CHA partners include:

Colorado State University Pueblo
Health Solutions
Pueblo Community Health Center
CommonSpirit St. Mary-Corwin Hospital
uchealth

These local health agencies have, and continue to, dedicate staff and community reach to ensure that health services, programs, and efforts for residents are coordinated and align with the biggest health priorities within the entire County as identified by data.

CHA Priorities and Data

The health priorities selected from the results of the 2024 joint CHA are mental health and risky behaviors. The emphasis of these priorities for the CHA and CHIP are directly linked to secondary data collected from available state and federal sources, primary data collected directly from community residents, and the standards structured within the BARHII framework.

Mental Health:

A state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community (WHO).

Risky Behaviors:

Behaviors that potentially expose people to harm, or significant risk of harm, which prevent them from reaching their potential in life and which can cause significant morbidity or mortality (NIH).

Data Briefs

Community Engagement

 Community Member Surveying – online & in-person

 Focus Groups

 Community events

BARHII

The BARHII framework of Pueblo's Joint CHA

Pueblo’s joint CHA adapted the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII) framework for prioritization and primary data selection.

“The framework serves as a foundational document in the American Medical Association’s Health Equity strategy, was the foundation for the formation of the State of California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity, and has shaped the strategic planning of national, state, and local health jurisdictions” (BARHII, n.d.).

Colorado organizations such as the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have used the BARHII framework to display their living conditions data sets.

Previous CHAs

 

Resources