In May of 2023 the Allentown Health Bureau began the process of performing a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for the City of Allentown.
A CHNA determines the individual and community health of an area through a structured framework. This includes 4 parts:
- Community Health Status Assessment or snapshot of health and social factors in the City of Allentown
- Forces of Change, or qualitative brainstorming of Forces and underlying Trends impacting health status
- Local Public Health System Assessment or rank of Public Health using the 10 Essential Public Health Services
- Community Themes and Strengths Assessment, or integration of Residents surveyed on health, focus group input, and the results of the two local health networks health assessments.
Over the course of 10 months the Allentown Health Bureau has met with community organizations, community leaders and stakeholders, focus groups and residents to gather data and perform the work to complete the CHNA to inform the creation of a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to attempt to address some of the overarching problems effecting our residents’ health.
The complete Community Health Needs Assessment is available for download.
Our newly launched CHNA interactive dashboard allows residents, stakeholders, and policymakers to explore critical health issues affecting the City and see how collective input is shaping actionable solutions.
Engage with data collected during the CHNA process, including citywide surveys, public health records, and resident feedback!
Key Features of the Dashboard
- Comprehensive Data Access: View and explore data on the key issues identified in the CHNA, including Loneliness & Social Isolation, Stable & Affordable Housing, and Upward Economic Mobility.
- Transparency: Understand how the CHNA collected and analyzed data.
- Interactive Visualizations: Engage with user-friendly charts, graphs, and maps that make complex health data easy to interpret.
- Community Health Improvement Plan: Explore the City’s roadmap for addressing identified health challenges, from small actionable steps to large-scale initiatives.
The dashboard will be periodically updated with new data, enabling the City to evaluate progress toward measurable goals, such as improving access to affordable housing, increasing economic mobility, and reducing social isolation.
For questions or feedback, please contact the Allentown Health Bureau at (610) 437-7760.