Residents can help Olmsted County identify top community health issues

Olmsted County Public Health, along with Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center (OMC), is looking for help from the community to prioritize health issues in Olmsted County. 

Every three years, residents can participate in the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) prioritization survey to help OCPHS identify the county's health concerns. 

"These surveys help us identify top health issues in our community so we can work collaboratively to make a positive impact on health in Olmsted County. We appreciate your willingness to help identify these health priorities by completing the survey," said OCPHS Director Denise Daniels.

The Olmsted County Community Health Assessment and Planning (CHAP) team distributes the surveys. CHAP is a collaborative effort that began in 2012 and continues to be led by OCPHS, OMC, and Mayo Clinic. In addition to these lead agencies, numerous community organizations contribute to the overall process and are committed to keeping our community healthy. 

Once the survey results are reviewed, the CHAP team works with residents, community groups, health care providers, and legislators to address the identified health concerns.

These partners use the information from the CHNA prioritization survey to develop programs and services that will address health issues. In recent years, survey results helped establish the community health priorities used to implement new programs. The county’s three health priorities identified through the 2019 CHNA were mental health, financial stress, and substance abuse. Work around these issues included:

The CHNA prioritization survey is anonymous and takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. It is available in English, Spanish, and Somali. The survey is open until July 1, 2022.

The CHAP team will share survey results and community health priorities in October 2022.

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Media Contact: Emma Diercks, Communications Specialist, 507-328-6166