WINCHESTER, Va. — Valley Health has released the findings of its 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment and announced the launch of its 2026 Community Partnership Grant Program, a $200,000 initiative designed to help community organizations address the most pressing health challenges identified across the region the health system serves.
The nonprofit health system completes a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years. The assessment serves as a comprehensive review of the health status of the community, identifying both key health challenges and the resources available to address them. Valley Health said the 2025 assessment was conducted in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health’s Lord Fairfax Health District and community stakeholders throughout the region.
Based on survey data and community input collected through the CHNA process, Valley Health identified four priority health needs that will guide strategy and community investment for the current three-year assessment period:
- Access to health and wellness services
- Nutrition and physical well-being
- Mental health
- Housing
Valley Health said the health system will work collaboratively with the health department and regional partners to develop strategies intended to make progress in each priority area.
“Working collaboratively with community partners, the health system and health department will develop strategies to address these priorities for the current three-year CHNA period,” Valley Health said in its announcement.
Community partnership grants open through Feb. 27
As part of its efforts to respond to the CHNA findings, Valley Health announced it is opening the 2026 Community Partnership Grant program, which provides direct funding to local organizations working on projects tied to the assessment’s priority areas.
Valley Health is inviting eligible local organizations to apply for one of 13 one-year grants. Applicants must submit proposals describing how they plan to collaborate with Valley Health to advance solutions related to the identified health priorities.
The 2026 grant application period is open now through Feb. 27, Valley Health said.
The total funding available through the program is $200,000, structured across several award levels:
- One grant of $50,000
- Four grants of $25,000 each
- Four grants of $10,000 each
- Four mini-grants of $2,500 each
Valley Health said grant recipients will be announced in April 2026.
Focus on partnerships to strengthen community health
Jason Craig, senior director of community health for Valley Health, said the grant program is intended to strengthen community partnerships and extend the health system’s mission by supporting organizations addressing urgent needs.
“We are proud to support and partner with community agencies to address the area’s critical needs,” Craig said. “Through this program, our hope is that our community partners can collaborate with the health system to alleviate the challenges many individuals face when it comes to accessing health care, housing, mental health care and more.”
Valley Health said it “proudly supports community impact partners” whose work aligns with efforts to improve health outcomes locally, particularly in areas where barriers such as cost, transportation, housing instability, and limited services can prevent residents from obtaining needed care.
How to apply
Organizations interested in applying can find grant information, eligibility requirements, and application materials at valleyhealthlink.com/grants. Questions may also be directed to Craig by email at [email protected].
Valley Health said the Community Partnership Grant program will serve as one of the strategies used to address the CHNA priorities over the next three years, while additional planning and collaborative work continues with public health and regional community partners.
About Valley Health
Valley Health is a not-for-profit health system serving a population of more than 500,000 in the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, and western Maryland. As a healthcare provider, employer, and community partner, Valley Health is committed to improving the health of the region. The system includes six hospitals, more than 70 medical practices and Urgent Care centers, outpatient rehabilitation, medical transport, long-term care, and home health. www.valleyhealthlink.com.
Edited by Dan McDermott
