Community Health Needs Assessment | Kent County Health Connect

Help Shape the Future of Health in Kent County

What is priority setting?

Priority setting is a process of using data to decide which health issues are most important to address and where to focus time and resources. During the sessions, participants will review findings from the 2026 CHNA and complete activities to help identify a shared set of priorities for Kent County.

The priorities identified through this process will help guide the development of the three-year Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and other health improvement efforts across the county.

Why is community participation important?

Community members bring important perspectives to interpreting CHNA findings and deciding what should happen next. Having a shared set of priorities can also help residents, community organizations, health care systems, and other partners work together toward common goals.

The priorities identified through this process will help guide the development of the three-year Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and other health improvement efforts across the county.

Who should participate?

Anyone who lives or works in Kent County and is interested in improving health and well-being is encouraged to participate. This includes residents, community leaders, and people working in health care, education, public health, human services, nonprofit organizations, government, and other sectors that influence health.

No previous experience with the CHNA is required to participate.

Sign up to attend a prioritization session.

The 2026 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is moving from data collection to priority setting. During these sessions, we will review what we learned through the CHNA and participants will help determine the most important issues to address through county-wide health improvement efforts over the next three years.

Two sessions are open to community members and partners:

November 10 | 8:30–11:00 AM | In person
November 12 | 2:00–4:00 PM | Virtual

Both sessions will cover the same CHNA findings and prioritization activities, so participants only need to attend one.

Sign Up for a Prioritization Session

A Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is a community-driven data collection effort to identify the strengths, challenges, health priorities, and opportunities to address and improve public health. Every three years, the Kent County Health Department, in collaboration with healthcare and community partners, conducts a CHNA to better understand the current state of health and well-being in Kent County and to hear directly from residents about the issues that matter most to them.