In its report "The Future of Public Health," the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (1988) recognizes assessments of community health status and community health needs as a core public health function. The course textbook states that some of the goals of community health assessment are to evaluate health status, identify community health needs, identify strengths and weaknesses of a community's health systems, recommend strategies to address community health needs, and locate existing or needed resources to meet identified needs.

Read the report and based on it, respond to the following questions in relation to the role of community members:

• What role or roles should community members have in a community needs assessment? Justify your answer.

• What are some strategies for engaging community members?

Public health agencies use data to identify health problems, establish and track health objectives, and assess the effectiveness of policies, programs, and services.

Respond to the following questions in relation to community needs assessment:

• Which key factors are important to consider when gathering and presenting data for a community needs assessment?

• When presenting data, which strategies would you recommend for creating a strong and compelling statement of need?