Some people get frustrated with consulting because they’ve seen it focus on the wrong things and not make the desired impact. But here’s the reset:

Consulting isn’t supposed to be about echoing ideas. It doesn’t have to be about repeating the same playbook. It can be a real support system that helps teams grow, improve, and deliver more impact.

Public health shouldn’t have to fight for its place, but in 2025 it often does. Political pressure, public skepticism, and post-COVID cracks in trust are shaping the landscape we work in.

We can’t control the politics or the misinformation—but we can control how we show up, how we communicate, and how we rebuild trust. Here’s what defending public health really looks like now.

Community needs assessments are so common in public health that they’re sometimes seen as routine. A requirement. A checkbox. Something we do because it’s expected.

But when we strip away the buzzwords and templates, the purpose remains deeply meaningful:

A needs assessment is an opportunity to stop assuming and start listening.

Community health needs assessments are the foundation of effective public health strategy. But too often, they rely solely on existing data sources — datasets that miss the very voices most impacted by inequities.

Here’s how to design an equity-centered, mixed-methods assessment using the five steps of the Insight to Impact Roadmap.

In my work, I see the same pattern over and over: community engagement is the backbone of effective public health, and small missteps can stall great work.

The good news: once you spot these patterns, you can turn stagnant outreach into steady, trusted participation that moves health outcomes.