Olmsted County releases 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), detailing Olmsted County’s health priorities, is now available to the public.

According to Olmsted County, this year’s CHNA is the fourth report since 2013 from a collaborative effort between Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS), Mayo Clinic, and Olmsted Medical Center (OMC).

The 2022 CHNA shares comprehensive data and information about the health and well-being of Olmsted County residents.

The assessment continues to affirm that the health status of Olmsted County is very positive and compares favorably to our state and nation on many health indicators. However, it also shows that the community could do more in certain areas to improve health outcomes. Disparities still exist for many residents, and they deserve our collective focus and resources.

The 2022 CHNA identified three priority issues that significantly impact health: mental health, drug use, and access to care.

“Nearly every Olmsted County resident is touched by one or more of these issues with our vulnerable populations often bearing a disproportionate burden. We are looking forward to collaborating with our partners to address these health issues,” OCPHS Director Denise Daniels said.

The online format for the 2022 CHNA report is interactive. The interactive platform includes all the collected data and tools to help navigate the report.

Users can choose to turn different data points on or off. For example, some graphs have race and ethnicity data where a user can look at each racial group individually. The tool also allows people to zoom in on graphs and see detailed information while hovering over data points.

“The 2022 CHNA is the first time an interactive online platform is being used to share the data. We are thrilled to share this innovation with our community,” OMC President Dr. James Hoffman said.

The 2022 CHNA will allow OCPHS, Mayo Clinic, and OMC to continue working with community members to develop action plans to improve the community’s health priorities.

“We extend our thanks to the many community organizations and community members that contributed to this effort and who provide valuable services every day to help keep our community healthy,” Mayo Clinic Executive Dean of Practice Dr. Amy Williams said.

The interactive 2022 CHNA can be found here.