Public Health Services

Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)

Dallas County Health and Human Services - 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207
Telephone: 214-819-2000

The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is conducted once every three years in partnership with Parkland to address the Dallas County residents’ health needs. This assessment is a strategic roadmap to advance and strengthen the public health and healthcare infrastructure within the county. Results from the CHNA drive the community health implementation plan which focuses on health inequities illustrated by disparity indicators. The mission of the Dallas County CHNA is to advance the health of the Dallas County residents by highlighting opportunities to improve public health indicators, address systematic issues, and respond to the health concerns raised by community members.

Three Key Priorities over the next three years of the CHNA implementation:

1. Health Concerns

• Chronic Disease: Reducing the burden of chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancers) through policies and strategies that provide better access to resources.
  • Advance tobacco-free policies in alignment with nationally and locally recognized tobacco prevention and education programs.
  • Enhance Diabetes and Hypertension prevention and control strategies.
• Breast Health: Undertaking efforts to collect and analyze data on breast cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates in Dallas County by developing a robust breast cancer surveillance and monitoring system at DCHHS.
• Mental and Behavioral Health: Strengthening DCHHS laboratory capacity for opioid overdose monitoring and surveillance systems through strategic partnerships with Dallas Fire-Rescue and ODMAP.
• Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): Continuously improving access to Sexual Health services to reduce the transmission rate of sexually transmitted infections and advance access to preventive care.
• Preventive Care: Fostering strategic partnerships with the Texas Department of State Health Services to develop a comprehensive disease surveillance and electronic case reporting system.
  • Provide more access to care by developing a new DCHHS Satellite/Sexual Health Clinic for DCHHS services in the Southern Sector of Dallas County.
• Maternal & Child Health
  • Pioneering a maternal/child health program at DCHHS
  • Providing more robust efforts to increase Dallas County pediatric asthma prevention and control programs. For example: expanding AS-ME in local schools and at home.

2. Community Equity

• Addressing social determinants of health such as access to housing, care, health literacy, health education, social services, etc. The following are some of the activities undertaken:
  • Provide housing assistance through voucher programs.
  • Reduce homelessness in target zip codes.
  • Expand community outreach efforts.
  • Pathway for “Community First Village.”

3. Public Health Practice

• Leveraging DCHHS’ role as a critical community health strategist to achieve enhanced data sharing and alignment for a better understanding of community health conditions via the following strategies:
  • Develop data-sharing agreements and/or MOUs with State and Local healthcare organizations and institutions.
  • Modernize and enhance public health and social services technology and information systems.
  • Create joint Parkland and DCHHS strategies that enhance epidemiological approaches towards reducing chronic disease and sexually transmitted infections in high-priority areas of Dallas County, among others.

CHNA Dashboard

This dashboard presents city-level mortality data for understanding community health issues in Dallas County, Texas. This data will be used to identify health priorities and address them through community action.

To view a larger version of the dashboard, click the furthest icon on the right of the lower right hand corner.