North Dakota Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Community Needs Assessment Support

Opportunity

Since 2016, HSRI has partnered with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (ND HHS) to strengthen the state’s behavioral health system. Building on this long-standing collaboration, ND HHS identified a need for a standardized, sustainable approach to assessing community needs as part of its Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) state certification program.

Approach

HSRI is working with ND HHS and its community partners to design, pilot, and refine a practical community needs assessment toolkit. This toolkit guides clinics in gathering and analyzing data on local characteristics and behavioral health needs, mapping community partnerships, and conducting meaningful engagement through listening sessions and interviews. The process is designed to be replicable, ensuring clinics can carry out assessments independently and effectively.

Impact

This project will equip North Dakota’s behavioral health system with a consistent, community-informed approach to understanding and responding to local needs. By supporting ongoing, region-specific assessments, the initiative will help strengthen CCBHC planning, enhance service delivery, and ensure that care is tailored to the unique needs of communities across the state.