2. Assess Needs

Tools

These tools have been collected by AMCHP and the MCH Evidence Center:

• Public Health Workforce Interest and Needs Survey. Use these dashboards to explore the national findings from PH WINS 2021. To examine the data in more detail, try applying filters, comparing subsets of the workforce, or selecting a topic or subgroup of interest.
• Kansas MCH Workforce Profile. An example of a workforce assessment can be found in this Kansas Title V Needs Assessment (see page 41).

Stories and Strategies for Peer-to-Peer Learning

These stories and strategies have been collected by AMCHP and the MCH Evidence Center related to Step 2:

• Oregon CYSHCN Family and Youth Surveys. OCCYSHN administered electronic and paper surveys in English and Spanish to families of CYSHCN between the ages of birth and 26 years, and to young adults between the ages of 12 and 26 years with a special health care need. Because the population of each of these groups is not known, and therefore cannot be sampled from, OCCYSHN used a snowball sampling approach in which OCCYSHN’s contacts were asked to complete the surveys or, in the case of organizational partners, disseminate the surveys to the organization’s constituency. This resulted in a convenience sample. Results cannot be used to generalize to these populations, but do provide useful information about the types of existing needs, and about similarities and variations between stakeholder perspectives on needs. Of the 675 family surveys received, 554 were usable (83%), and of the 116 youth surveys received, 109 were usable (94%). Alabama’s Title V CYSHCN program let us use items from their youth survey for ours, and we used or adapted other items from the NS-CSHCN and CAHPS. The incentive for participating was the opportunity to be one of 5 randomly family survey participants and one of 5 randomly selected youth survey participants to receive iTunes gift cards. OCCYSHN will share copies of any of these surveys with other Title V CYSHCN agencies. Contact Alison Martin at [email protected], 503-494-5435 for information.
• Ohio: As a partner, I am seeing how we need to help be more of a go-between for Ohio's MCH. We are a step closer to some partners. As we were tasked with the need assessment, we then only administered surveys via email to our schools and optometrist partners, and would like to see more engagement in the future.
• Arizona: 1. Adding paid consultants to our NA steering committee. 2. Specific CYSHCN needs assessment for blueprint. 3. Being more intentional about getting to the community versus expecting the communities to come to us. 4. Think beyond traditional partners.
• Maryland: 1. Data specialist, collect data, create data tool, create dashboard, DUA. 2. Data needs, data sharing between state and local and federal level instructions and some standard SOP's should be published.
• Maryland: In my role, I am working to share and engage with families to complete needs assessment surveys.
• Kentucky: ID strengths, weaknesses, assets. How do you do this? ID partners. 1. funder. 2. convener. 3. informed. 3–4 sessions for small states. 3. Strengths and capacity. 4. Select priorities. What I'm doing! 1. coordinating the needs assessment activities in my MCH division, Meetings, communication, partners/stakeholders, outside consultants, etc. 2. Communicating progress of our various steps along the way. Why am working! 1. Set a plan and stick to plan! 2. Be clear and concise as the steps you are following or want to follow. There are so many ways to go about this.
• New Hampshire: Family and provider survey to identify needs for CSHCN. Conducted by family voices to encourage honest, authentic participation.
• North Dakota: The state health assessment is complete. Developed the MCH stakeholders survey. Compiled and preparing other data for analysis.
• North Dakota: 1. Complete MCH stakeholder survey. 2. Compile and analyze other data. 3. Access data to help prioritize strategies.
• Wyoming: I'm actively involved in developing the structure and written report, managing a contractor that is collecting and analyzing community data, and developing a performance management framework to guide us through the next five years. These processes are helping us keep the whole picture in mind and strengthening the links between assessment and action.
• North Dakota: The importance of coming up with a timeline: 1. State health assessment complete. 2. State health improvement plan for 2024–2029 is done. 3. Stakeholder survey is being finalized and will be done by November 2024. 4. Priority setting will take place January 2025.
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Utilizing network and existing partners to assist with the needs assessment and selecting MCH priorities. Providing expertise and intersection activities to develop the action plan.
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Include CYSHN and families with lived experiences in the action plan. Having all MCH managers involved in the needs assessment. It will address more domains.
• Connecticut: Start early and meet weekly to stay on task.
• Kentucky: Have forms, focus groups, in languages other than English. Work with partners to identify participants.
• Mississippi: Quarterly meetings for MCH programming. Use Smartsheet or Google doc to organize notes and findings.
• Mississippi: We are mining the contact/partner list from programs, not directly or traditionally, or historically involved in the MCH needs assessment to add a minimum, leverage those organic relationships to increase stakeholder feedback and access the population(s) they serve.
• Vermont: Allocate more money for the needs assessment process so we have more for payment for community partners and support during the process.
• Vermont: Don't re-create assessment that is happening elsewhere in the state – integrate. Design so that the assessment doesn't tell you what you already know.
• Republic of Palau: Utilizing diverse ways to obtain community feedback. Although population is small, we have various sub groups with different ways of getting information. Take time to learn about your community by allowing them to articulate their needs in their own way.
• West Virginian: Build and capitalize on synergy – where is this work already happening? Funds to these organizations to engage the families. They are already working with in a trust-based relationship.
• Hawaii: Within the Title V needs assessment and anytime we engage families, we always make an effort to appropriately compensate families for their time and knowledge. It's been successful in building trust and relationships between our department/division, community, partners, and families. Compensation, typically through gift cards and similar means, shows appreciation and acknowledgment of families.
• Montana: Engaging with tribal epidemiology center. They represent two states and nine federally recognized tribes, five reservations. It's a lot of "bang for our buck."
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Partner engagement. Ensure population representation. Keep partners in the loop (informed) of every stage of the NA process.
• Alabama: Re-examining key informants. Did we include all MCHP funding grants. Did we include key government/agency leadership. Did we consider all appropriate laws and regulations and not just hot button issues. i.e. abortion. Are we sharing, intentionally, the needs assessment results with non-conventional partners. e.g., DOT, DOE.
• Republic of Palau: As Title V coordinator and new to the five-year needs assessment, I am actively learning from my fellow state and federal partners about how to better standardize our own process.
• Wisconsin: Having needs assessment committee members go to local places (food banks, libraries, stores), to ask community members to complete survey. Staff helped with completing survey if needed. Staff had time to connect with community and each other.
• Hawaii: I am the statistician for the division and I conduct data analysis for Title V application each year.
• Connecticut: We are conducting landscape of specific domains (child health, CYSHN, etc.) that include stakeholders, programs. It is useful because it helps us see what is available in each area.
• Connecticut: Engaging or utilizing vocal/strong, family leaders, and providing them with stipends.
• North Carolina: For this needs assessment, we have taken time to engage with populations that we have historically not engaged with as much including: Immigrant and refugee communities, American Indian population (eight state recognized tribes in NC), Spanish-speaking population. We have conducted focus groups and advisory members with representatives from their populations, and will include in priority setting.
• North Carolina: Apply for MCH interns, great opportunity to expand capacity for focus groups and community engagement.
• Wisconsin: We conducted focus groups among a wide range of partners and populations. We also widely distributed a survey, along with some targeted distribution to ensure representation from all groups around the state.
• Tennessee: Hosting two adolescent, focus groups! This has been a wonderful, invaluable opportunity to connect with adolescent, and understand what their challenges and needs are as we look at priorities.
• Virginia: Holding a variety of focus groups in person and virtually for youth and caregivers, in English and Spanish. Pulling in LHD's, and CCC points of contact to help host the sessions/pull in their families.
• Texas: Assess needs: 1. Research specialist V – needs assessment coordinator. • Dedicated role for needs assessment activities. • Research background to advise on best practices and develop effective assessment tools. 2. Multiple Epis and research specialists involved in needs assessment for setting indicators and analyzing data. 3. Hire outside vendor to conduct qualitative research for the needs assessment.
• Ohio: We have a contractor, they can provide incentives and can do focus groups where the DOH is not in the room, which will hopefully allow for some honest feedback that will help us in setting priorities.