Final answer:
The ACA mandated Community Health Needs Assessment facilitates planning for community health improvements by assessing health status, identifying priorities, and guiding interventions to improve overall health outcomes in the community.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of the ACA mandated Community Health Needs Assessment is c) Planning for community health improvements. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced several measures aimed at increasing health insurance coverage and making healthcare more affordable. One of these measures was establishing health insurance exchanges to foster competition and reduce policy prices. In addition to facilitating access to health insurance, the ACA also sought to improve overall public health outcomes. The Community Health Needs Assessment is a tool that hospitals and other health care organizations use to evaluate the health status and needs of the communities they serve, to identify priority areas, and to plan interventions to improve health status, access to health care services, and to address health disparities.