Cochise Health & Social Services is the organization officially responsible for promoting health and well-being of the 129,112 residents of Cochise County. In 2012, they embarked on a journey  to better understand the health needs of county residents. With funding and technical assistance from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), they conducted the first county-wide Community Health Assessment (CHA). The purpose of the Cochise County CHA was to determine the self-identified current health status of the county's residents, identifying the barriers to accessing health care, and determine what types of services residents were using. More importantly, the CHA attempted to gain an understanding of the county's definition of a healthy community and to strategically deploy limited resources throughout the county for the greatest possible effect. 

​

Building on the 2012 assessment, CHSS embarked on a collaborative approach to conduct the 2016 assessment, partnering with the Legacy Foundation of Southeast Arizona, Benson Community Hospital, Copper Queen Community Hospital, and Northern Cochise Community Hospital to bring together residents and community leaders, nonprofit and social service agencies, governmental institutions, and federally qualified community health centers to harness their collective resources, energy and expertise to identify, and prioritize the major issues threatening the health and well-being of Cochise County residents.