MCHwork: Transforming Learning
Session 4.1: Needs Assessment — Moving from Data to Priorities
Introduction
As Title V agencies work through the five-year needs assessment, we have heard the need for a structure to address Step 4 of the State MCH Block Grant Needs Assessment Conceptual Framework: Selecting Priorities.
Selecting priorities is a pivotal step in translating the findings of a needs assessment into actionable public health initiatives. This step involves identifying and ranking the most critical health needs and issues within the community. The process should consider factors like severity, feasibility, potential impact, and how best to achieve optimal health outcomes for maternal and child populations, all while ensuring that the selected priorities align with the overall goals and resources of the public health department. Key to this process are the following considerations:
- Establish clear criteria for prioritization. Develop a set of clear and measurable criteria to guide the prioritization process. These criteria should be based on the community's health needs, the potential impact of interventions, and the feasibility of implementation.
- Utilize a scoring system. Assign weights to each criterion and develop a scoring system to evaluate each identified need. This scoring system can help to objectively compare different needs and identify those that are most significant.
- Involve partners in the prioritization process. Engage community partners, healthcare providers, public health professionals, and policymakers, in the prioritization process. Their input can provide valuable insights and help to ensure that the selected priorities reflect the community's needs and priorities.
- Consider strategies that directly improve health outcomes. Prioritize interventions that have the potential to advance health outcomes and improve the well-being of all maternal and child populations. This may involve addressing underlying non-medical risk factors of health. Use impact assessments to evaluate how each priority may affect different demographic groups.
- Be transparent and accountable. Communicate the prioritization process and the selected priorities to the community and other partners. Be transparent about the rationale behind the decisions and accountable for the implementation of the selected interventions.
For more information, you can access additional resources at MCHneeds.net to learn about the full needs assessment process and join us below as we explore how to use this planning tool to assist with your budgeting process.
READY: Title V Grant Preparation — Getting from Data to Priorities
Resources to Dig Deeper and Tools to Use:
SET: Communicating with Partners about Title V Block Grant Priorities
Resources to Dig Deeper and Tools to Use:
- Working Effectively with Families:
- Family Engagement in Systems Toolkit (Family Voices). The toolkit includes an assessment tool for patient and family engagement at the systems level and a supporting set of resources to improve systems-level patient and family engagement activities.
- People with Lived Experience (PWLE) Learning Bundle (National MCH Workforce Development Center and MCH Navigator). This learning resource provides detailed steps for professionals who seek to authentically engage with PWLE to improve policy, services, supports, systems of care, and health outcomes. The document and videos provide guidance for setting the stage in order to create trusting relationships and engage PWLE.
- Working Effectively with Other Community Partners:
- Making Decisions Jointly With Community (de Beaumont Foundation). This resource presents deliberate strategies to center the community’s expertise in all aspects of program planning, provide the space for meaningful dialogue, and develop shared priorities and actions that address the community’s self-identified needs.
- Community Engagement 101: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide (Visible Network Labs). This guide presents insights, tools, and actionable plans at every stage of the community engagement life cycle—from planning and partner analysis to implementation and long-term relationship management.
- Establishing Strong, Sustainable, Cross-Sector Collaborations (de Beaumont Foundation). This report describes how health departments sustain collaborations through clearly delineating shared goals, respective responsibilities, and collaboration guidelines for decision making, conflict resolution, and data sharing.
Implementing Site Indicators
GO: Title V Block Grant Preparation — Some Perspectives for Prioritizing
Resources to Dig Deeper and Tools to Use:
- Start, Stop, Continue Tool (The New Leader). This guide presents the three-part process that lends itself to constructive, actionable and unambiguous feedback.
- What is an Impact Effort Matrix and How Does It Work? (Six Sigma Development Solutions Incorporated). This step-by-step tool shows how to evaluate and prioritize tasks, projects, or ideas based on their potential impact and the level of effort required to implement them. The matrix helps individuals or teams make informed decisions by systematically categorizing items into different quadrants.
