This course was created and provided by the Virtual Center of Excellence (VCE), a former project of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN). Content and format will be updated in the near future to address current accessibility standards. If you are unable to access the content in this section, please contact the imp support team for assistance.

Under the Strategic Prevention Framework, communities are expected to assess population needs, including levels of substance abuse and related problems; available resources to support prevention efforts, and community readiness to address identified prevention problems or needs. Each of these categories is explored in this module.

The Importance of Assessing Community Needs

This course has been designed for those behavioral health professionals working with communities to develop a framework for a larger reach and recovery effort. This is the first course in the Strategic Prevention Framework series and focuses on the importance of data collection and assessing the needs of your target community prior to planning and implementation. 

Data Analysis and Identifying Problem Areas

The participants of this course will develop an understanding of the importance of accurate data collection in the community assessment process. The course will also provide evidence-based, best practices for collecting the data and using it to identify the potential community problem areas. 

Community-Based Logic, Cultural Competence, and Community Sustainability

This course provides the participants with regarding the community-based logic model for community assessments. This is a framework that will include information about using cultural competence and sustainability tactics throughout your assessment and data collection process. 

We have newly designed courses to keep you current in your field of expertise, you may want to check out Cultural Competence, Infection Control, and HIPAA Essentials.

• Describe the process of a community needs assessment.
• Describe at least 3 methods for collecting and analyzing data.
• Prioritize a community problem area based on assessment data.
• Learn about a community-based logic model to assist in the community assessment.
• Explain how cultural competence and sustainability are infused into a needs assessment.