2021 Community Health Needs Assessment Report Available

The 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment Report has been published by Healthy Teton County and is now available online at http://healthytetoncounty.org. Healthy Teton County determined the top community primary health behaviors and conditions for 2021 to be mental health, alcohol use, chronic disease/cancer screenings, immunizations, sexual/reproductive health, and nicotine use. The top social needs/social determinants of health identified in the 2021 report are housing, income inequality, access to health care, and food insecurity.  The 2021 Community Health Implementation Plan that outlines the goals and strategies for addressing each identified issue will be available by the end of 2021.

“The social determinants of health, in particular, are multifaceted and require a system-wide approach to address these issues,” stated Public Health Director Jodie Pond. “They are best addressed by bringing together nontraditional partners. By focusing on and prioritizing the social needs/social determinants of health we hope to achieve health equity in our community, a state in which every person has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” St. John’s Health CEO Will Wagnon added, “We look forward to continued work with our partners to ensure we are focused on meeting the priority health needs of Teton County.” 

The Community Health Needs Assessment is conducted every three years by Healthy Teton County, a community health initiative led by Teton County Health Department and St. John’s Health. More than 25 local organizations participate. The partnership follows a condensed version of the MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships) framework, a national best practice to help communities identify community health issues and resources to address them.

Data was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control, the Wyoming Department of Health, County Health Rankings, and Network of Care (http://teton.wy.networkofcare.org/ph). To complement this data, a quality of life survey was conducted with community members. Over 1,500 surveys were completed, including 260 in Spanish.

This year social determinants of health (SDOH) and social needs were separately prioritized from health issues. Healthy People 2030 defines social determinants of health as community-wide conditions in the environments in where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health outcomes and risks. The social determinants of health can be grouped into 5 domains: Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Health Care Access and Quality, Neighborhood and Built Environment and Social Community Context. Social determinants of health have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Examples of SDOH include:

• Safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods
• Racism, discrimination, and violence
• Education, job opportunities, and income
• Access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities
• Polluted air and water
• Language and literacy skills

Social needs is a term often used interchangeably with social determinants of health. Social needs are defined as the immediate needs of people in a community, including food, housing, and transportation.

For additional information about the Teton County MAPP process, visit www.healthytetoncounty.org or call Michelle Huntzinger at 307 739 7244 or Jodie Pond at 307 732 8461.

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