Sustain Improvement Results

Photo of a forest

The key concepts below describe how to orient CHI efforts to sustain community health improvement.

Establish the foundation for long-term success and returns by incorporating sustainability planning into your CHI process.

Key Concepts

  • The actions resulting from the CHI process are valued and maintain support and resources (e.g., people, organizations) to continue/sustain change into the future
  • A backbone infrastructure (BBI) is established and coordinates activities
  • Policy, systems, and environmental solutions are included in the actions implemented for lasting change

Tools for Getting Started

Tools are listed below in an order roughly aligned with the order of the key concept(s) they support above.

  • Sustaining the Work or Initiative
    • Go to the Outline and Example tabs for questions to consider and other guidance on how to sustain organizational or community initiatives, including the development of business and marketing plans.
  • Collective Impact
    • Go to the Main Section and Checklist tabs for an overview of the Collective Impact Approach, including establishing a backbone infrastructure (BBI) to coordinate activities. Collective ownership of issues and a BBI can assist with sustainability of CHI efforts.

Click here for additional tools related to the key concepts.

Relevant Excerpts from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Final Rule
Note: No excerpts from the IRS Final Rule on Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) for Charitable Hospitals are included in this section of Tools for Successful CHI Efforts. See the full regulation for more information.13


13Additional Requirements for Charitable Hospitals; Community Health Needs Assessments for Charitable Hospitals; Requirement of a Section 4959 Excise Tax Return and Time for Filing the Return, 79 Fed. Reg. 78,953 (December 31, 2014) (to be codified at 26 C.F.R. pts. 1, 53, and 602), available at IRS Final Rule on Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) for Charitable Hospitals .