Community health assessments are a core function of public health agencies and a fundamental tool of public health practice. Their aim is to describe the health of the community by presenting information on health status including epidemiologic and other studies of current local health problems, community health needs, health care and community resources. Community health assessments seek to identify target populations that may be at increased risk of poor health outcomes and to gain a better understanding of their needs, as well as assess the larger community environment and how it can help play a role in addressing the health needs of individuals in the community. The community health assessment process also identifies those areas where better information is needed, especially information on health disparities among different subpopulations, quality of health care, and the occurrence and severity of disabilities in the population.