Service Area Needs Assessments
HRSA developed the Service Area Needs Assessment Methodology (SANAM) to provide a consistent and transparent approach for assessing the need for new Health Center Program investments that provide comprehensive primary and preventive care services to address health disparities and advance health equity.
The SANAM uses publicly available data to calculate an Unmet Need Score (UNS) for every zip code within a proposed service area. The SANAM reduces the burden for applicants by automating calculations and helps HRSA target resources to areas of high unmet need.
Resources for the SANAM and UNS include:
- Updating the UNS Webinar Recording
- Updating the UNS Presentation Slides (PDF – 660 KB)
- UNS Resource Guide (PDF – 554 KB)
- UNS Workbook (XLS – 26 MB)
- UNS Frequently Asked Questions (PDF – 367 KB)
The Service Area Status (SAS) describes the health, social, and economic status of a health center’s service area. HRSA developed the SAS by leveraging SANAM and the data used in the calculation of the UNS. HRSA is evaluating the different uses for SAS.
Resources for the SAS include:
- SAS Presentation Slides (PDF – 457 KB)
- SAS Webinar Recording
Visit: https://bphc.hrsa.gov/programopportunities/strategic-initiatives for the latest HRSA updates. Please note that both methods will receive future updates before being implemented across New Access Point and Service Area Competition grants.