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Communicate

 Photo of a group of people meetingThe key concepts below underscore the ongoing and open nature of communication that successfully supports CHI efforts.
Ongoing and open communication between fellow stakeholders, including the community, is essential to helping ensure that chosen activities address critical needs, lead towards intended outcomes, and propel your CHI efforts to success.

Key Concepts

  • A process that ensures ongoing communication among stakeholders is established
  • Results of each phase of the CHI process as well as key messages that build public and political support for action are shared with the community (public), including evaluation results

Tools for Getting Started

Tools are listed below in an order roughly aligned with the order of the key concept(s) they support above.

  • Developing a Plan for Communication
    • Go to the Main Section, Checklist, and Tools tabs for an overview of the “what, why, when, and how” of developing a communication plan, including online resources.
  • A Handbook for Participatory Community Assessments
    • Go to Step 7 (pages 80-85) and also Appendices (for Examples) to review the “what, why, and how” elements of sharing the assessment results with the community, those involved in the CHI process, and other interested parties.
  • Creating Formal Public Reporting Processes
    • Go to the Main Section and Checklist tabs for an overview of how to develop communication and reporting processes that keep the community informed and involved while providing accountability for the effort. Included are a checklist, PowerPoint presentation summarizing major points in the section, and additional online resources.

Click here for additional tools related to the key concepts.

Relevant Excerpts from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Final Rule
The  IRS Final Rule on Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) for Charitable Hospitals   contains language related to select key concepts above. An excerpt of this language is provided below. To see the full regulation, click on the hyperlinked references below this paragraph.9

“[A] hospital facility’s CHNA report is made widely available to the public only if the hospital facility—
(A) Makes the CHNA report widely available on a Web site, as defined in § 1.501(r)–1(b)(29), at least until the date the hospital facility has made widely available on a Web site its two subsequent CHNA reports…”10

“[A] hospital facility must solicit and take into account…[w]ritten comments received on the hospital facility’s most recently conducted CHNA and most recently adopted implementation strategy.”11

“Because a new CHNA must be conducted and an implementation strategy adopted at least once every three years, the Treasury Department and the IRS intended for this requirement to establish the same sort of continual feedback on CHNA reports suggested by commenters, albeit over a different timeframe.”12

Note: The above statements do not constitute legal advice or regulatory guidance from CDC. Questions regarding the application of law to a specific circumstance or circumstances should be submitted to an attorney or other qualified legal professional.

9Additional Requirements for Charitable Hospitals; Community Health Needs Assessments for Charitable Hospitals; Requirement of a Section 4959 Excise Tax Return and Time for Filing the Return, 79 Fed. Reg. 78,953 (December 31, 2014) (to be codified at 26 C.F.R. pts. 1, 53, and 602), available at IRS Final Rule on Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) for Charitable Hospitals .
10Id. at 79,003.
11Id. at 79,002.
12Id. at 78,965.

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