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Accreditation Intent, Community Health Assessments, And Local Health Department–Hospital Collaboration, Erik L. Carlton, Simone Singh

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background: Community health assessments (CHAs) are among the most core of activities conducted by local health departments (LHDs), and many LHDs have been conducting CHAs on a regular basis for years. More recently, completing a CHA has also become a prerequisite for LHDs seeking accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Similarly, under the Affordable Care Act, tax-exempt hospitals are required to conduct periodic community health needs assessments. Opportunities thus exist for LHDs and tax-exempt hospitals to engage in collaborations related to CHAs. Yet, it remains unclear whether interest in PHAB accreditation provides incentive to LHDs to engage in …