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Needs assessments for community health centers
HRSA expects every Health Center Program awardee to complete or update a needs assessment of its service area at least once every three years. It is reviewed at site visits and it underpins every Service Area Competition and expansion application.
What the Health Center Program Compliance Manual expects (Chapter 3)
- A needs assessment of the current or proposed population, completed or updated at least once every three years (HRSA Compliance Manual, Chapter 3).
- The most recently available data for the service area and, where applicable, for special populations.
- Attention to what shapes access and use of care: geography, transportation, occupation, transience, unemployment, income and education.
- An annual review of the service area itself.
Facts on this page were checked against the official sources on September 20, 2026. Rules change; rely on the official announcement or regulation linked here, not on this summary.
Where we fit
Public data shows who lives in your service area. It does not show why they do not come in.
- Focus groups and interviews with the people the rule says you must hear from
- Surveys of all kinds: community, client, staff and partner
- Quantitative analysis of the public and internal data the assessment has to cite
- Data management, so every figure in the report can be traced to its source
- Expert data visualization, and a written report your board can adopt
- Final reporting in multiple formats: full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard
Mixed methods is our default design: qualitative and quantitative data, collected together and reported as one story.
Timing
Update ahead of a Service Area Competition application, a change in scope or a new site, and in any case before the three-year mark. An assessment finished early is evidence at your next operational site visit.
Is your needs assessment older than two years?
Tell us your service area and what is coming up: a competition, a new site or a site visit. You will hear back within one business day.
Every inquiry is confidential. We never sell or share your information. Privacy policy.