The Environmental Assessment, a background document to the Strategic Plan, is a detailed review of the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and factors from the internal and external environments that either support or threaten the institution.

Current Environmental Assessment (2004)
(pdf file; requires the free Adobe Reader)

Past Environmental Assessments

1996 (the first report, the result of a mandate from the DHHS Secretary)
(pdf file; requires the free Adobe Reader)

2001 (includes additional input from the NIH institutes and centers, patients, the academic community, and healthcare and hospital administrators)
(pdf file; requires the free Adobe Reader)