Community Health Assessment (CHA) is an ongoing activity of the WRHA. The purpose is to identify community health assets and issues, set health objectives and monitor progress towards those objectives. WRHA planners, program teams and others regularly use this information to identify priorities and to develop and support action plans in their daily work.

What is the Research and Evaluation Unit's Role?

The Research and Evaluation Unit is responsible for taking leadership of the following CHA activities in the Winnipeg Health Region:

• developing CHA processes in collaboration with stakeholders from the organization (e.g. Medical Officers of Health, Program Teams)
  
  
• gathering appropriate evidence to assess the health status of the population
  
  
• facilitating appropriate use of data on socio-economic, cultural and community-based factors that influence health and people's experiences with health care
  
  
• developing partnerships
  
  
• promoting community participation
  
  
• building capacity among various stakeholders
  
  
• writing the WRHA CHA comprehensive report
  
  
• writing and disseminating focused CHA reports
  
  
• preparing Community Area Profiles
  
  
• collaborating with other RHAs through membership in Manitoba's Community Health Assessment Network (CHAN)

A New Direction for the WRHA CHA

In 2005, a regional Community Health Assessment Committee was struck to lead the WRHA in setting a new direction for CHA. CHA has been redesigned to strengthen its usefulness for ongoing regional health planning/operations, and to engage communities in the process.

WRHA Community Health Assessment Committee Terms of Reference

Community Health Assessment 2009: Purpose, Objectives, Philosophy, and Approach

Operationalizing the Redesign of the WRHA Community Health Assessment Process

Regional Guidelines for Community Health Assessment

The CHA process is coordinated provincially by the Community Health Assessment Network (CHAN)—a province-wide collaborative group consisting of representatives from all Regional Health Authorities, CancerCare Manitoba, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and Manitoba Health and Healthy Living.  The CHA Guidelines Working Group, comprised of members from health authorities across the province and staff from Manitoba Health and Healthy Living, have prepared regional guidelines to support health authorities in Manitoba conducting community health assessments.