Tools & Resources
Intervention Planning Matrix
This tool (from the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute) is a worksheet designed to help you consider strategies that could be utilized to address the identified health issue at the individual, organization/institution, and community levels.
Evidence in Action: A Guide to Selecting Effective Prevention Strategies
This tool (from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Health) outlines a step-by-step process to efficiently determine which strategies are likely to improve the health of your state or local community.
Nine Questions: A Strategy Planning Tool for Advocacy Campaigns
This tool (from the Advocacy Institute) offers guidance for moving from broad goals to specific tactics and steps.
Dig Deeper
This tool (from CHR&R) is a section from Using the Rankings Data that directs you to other data sources that can help you find more data for your state and dig deeper on differences in health factors by geography or by population sub-groups. It is part of the Use the Data tool.
Principles to Consider for the Implementation of a Community Health Needs Assessment Process
This resource, written by Sara Rosenbaum, J.D. at The George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services, identifies guiding principles to inform the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s community health needs assessment provisions applicable to not-for-profit hospitals that seek federal tax-exempt status. It can be found in ...
Trend Analysis
This tool (from CHR&R) provides guidance for examining trends over time. It can be found in the Measuring Progress section under Other Data.
Measuring Progress
This tool (from CHR&R) includes detailed information and guidance for how to interpret and use the measures within the County Health Rankings to measure a community’s progress.
Discovering Community Power: A Guide To Mobilizing Local Assets And Your Organization’s Capacity
This tool (from ABCD: Asset Based Community Development, Northwestern University) is a community-building workbook that helps organizations identify strengths, resources and assets. It can be found in Assess Needs & Resources under...
Hernando, MS
The 2011 County Health Rankings classified Desoto County as the healthiest county in Mississippi for health outcomes and the fifth-healthiest county for health factors, with lower unemployment rates, higher education rates and greater access to healthy food compared to the rest of the state. Yet much more work needs to be done to improve the health of Desoto County, as one-third of its adults are obese and Mississippi, overall, has the highest obesity rates in the nation.
San Bernardino County, CA
The 2011 County Health Rankings ranked San Bernardino County—which spans more than 20,000 square miles and a population of more than 2 million—50th out of 56 California counties in health factors like physical environment, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care.
But initial disappointment over its low ranking didn’t prevent the San Bernardino County Health Department from seeing the County Health Rankings as an opportunity to strengthen its current health improvement initiatives and persuade policymakers of the need for change.