N.J. Admin. Code § 8:52-10.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 8:52-10.2 - Community health assessment

(a) To minimize costs and for consistency with existing data, the minimum unit of analysis for New Jersey shall be the county. This does not preclude any municipality from performing its own less formal assessment in addition to participating in the countywide or multi-countywide Community Health Assessment. This less formal assessment can be integrated into the countywide or multi-countywide assessment and/or used for other local public health programming purposes.

(b) A formal countywide or multi-countywide Community Health Assessment shall be performed and continually evaluated with a formal update every four years. Existing community health assessments meeting the criteria set forth in this section shall be valid until a new assessment is performed.

(c) Local health agencies shall submit a description of the Community Health Assessment process and the timeframe for its completion to the Office of Local Health for review and approval prior to initiating the assessment. This process description shall be submitted to the Office of Local Health by February 18, 2004 and every fours years thereafter.

1. Local health agencies working in partnership may submit this information in a joint report for the entire countywide or multi-countywide area.

(d) The formal countywide or multi-countywide Community Health Assessment shall be conducted in accordance with standardized methodologies approved by the Office of Local Health. Such methodologies include "Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships" (MAPP). The Community Health Assessment shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements:

1. A copy of any existing community health assessments;

2. An evaluation of funding sources;

3. A review of public health community partnership organizations and agencies and their roles;

4. An identification of barriers to transportation, language, culture, and service delivery within the countywide or multi-countywide area that affect access to health services, especially for low income and minority populations;

5. A Community Health Profile which includes measures of health status indicators and socio-demographic characteristics as specified by the Office of Local Health;

6. Current information on the health resources of and the services provided by each entity located within easy access of its population;

7. An assessment of the use of the health resources described in 6, above;

8. Current information on risk factors affecting the population served; and

9. An analysis of health status indicators for the population served in comparison with overall State and national rates for indicators set forth in "Healthy New Jersey 2010."

(e) The results of the countywide or multi-countywide Community Health Assessment shall be published in a "County Health Status Indicators Report." The results shall be presented in a manner that is sensitive and appropriate to individual, family, and community needs, language, and culture. The Report shall contain:

1. Measures of the health status indicators;

2. A description of the process used to complete the Community Health Assessment;

3. The standards with which the health status indicators are compared;

4. An inventory of public health capacities; and

5. An analysis of gaps in public health service.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:52-10.2