Community Health Needs Assessment

About the Community Health Needs Assessment

To identify and understand the needs of communities we serve, Akron Children's conducts a formal community health needs assessment (CHNA) every three years of children living within our footprint. Our process involves collecting and analyzing extensive data on children’s health and well-being from public sources, and combining this with the unique perspectives of community leaders, professionals who work closely with families, and parents and caregivers.

The resulting list of prioritized health needs is presented in two reports for each of our two hospital facilities, located in Akron and the Mahoning Valley. These reports guide the development of implementation strategies to address the highest priority health needs. The information in these reports also serves as a resource for other community groups to improve the health of the children and families they serve.

Community Health Needs Assessment Reports

Provides a description of the assessment process, as well as a data review and overview of the results. The summary and data index are combined beginning with the 2022 report.

Executive Summary Reports

Provides a description of the assessment process, as well as an overview of the results.

Implementation Strategy Report

Outlines how implementation teams at Akron Children's Hospital are working across hospital disciplines and collaborating with community partners to address priority needs from the CHNA.

2023-2025 Community Health Priorities

The CHNA identified three overarching commitments: Advancing Health Equity, Improving Health Access, and Fostering Resiliency. These represent cross-cutting factors which underpin the health and well-being of children in the region, but are larger than a single health issue or condition. Implementation of these commitments will center on two priority health needs which were selected via the prioritization process: Mental and Behavioral Health and Community-Based Health and Wellness. Each priority health need contains three areas of focus for CHNA implementation over the next three years.