Scenario

As the new business analyst for your health organization, you are charged with the task of completing a community needs assessment in order to support the Chief Executive Officer’s proposed mobile clinic unit. The unit will contain a variety of services including health education, medical and dental screenings, HIV testing, a syringe exchange program, and diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease management services. Your first step in conducting the needs assessment is to develop a draft of the proposal of the assessment for your CEO’s approval. Once the CEO has approved the assessment proposal, the complete assessment will be conducted.

Instructions

Your draft of the proposed assessment should include:

• An executive summary outlining the challenges facing the local community (you may focus on any community, including your own).
• A description of the community’s population (age, median income, educational status, and other relevant factors describing the community). You will need to research the demographics in your selected community using sites such as the Kaiser Family Foundation.
• A discussion of the potential barriers that may restrict access to care.
• An assessment of key indicators that a mobile clinic is necessary (e.g., high incidence of obesity or drug dependence).
• Recommendations for resources, both human and technical.
• Create a survey to gain input from the community. (You should also discuss how you plan to administer the survey and analyze the results).