Birmingham, Ala. (July 29, 2025)— Families and individuals across the state of Alabama have an opportunity to share their opinions on the health issues affecting their communities. Children’s of Alabama is conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), which will guide the hospital’s work in the community. According to the Affordable Care Act, tax-exempt hospitals are required to perform this assessment every three years. Brian Massey, Vice President of Government Relations at Children’s of Alabama, says the goal of the CHNA is to ask the community to identify and prioritize pediatric health needs and for Children’s to respond accordingly.
“A good CHNA process listens to the community, to hear what’s on their minds, making sure we hear from as many groups and geographies in the state, and then put a plan into action to address those needs,” said Massey.
Massey adds that long before it was a requirement in the Affordable Care Act, Children’s has had a long history of developing and providing education and prevention efforts across communities statewide.
The CHNA assessment will close on September 30. In addition to the assessment, focus groups will be conducted by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. Once all the data is collected, Children’s will review it with healthcare providers and physicians to identify the top three to five areas. A plan of action will be developed on how to address the areas of need over the next three years. Massey stresses that the results of this process could impact families across the state of Alabama, and that’s why it's so important that as many families as possible complete it.
“We need to hear what is on their minds,” said Massey. “What they see day to day in their communities, so the more voices that we can get into the survey, the better, so we can have a more informed response, ensuring that where we put our efforts serves what the community needs.”
Families can find a link to the survey on childrensal.org. It is available in both English and Spanish, and responses will be kept anonymous. No personal information will be collected or revealed. Once the survey is complete, the results will be posted on the hospital’s website for public viewing.
