GALLATIN COUNTY, MT — Every three years, Bozeman Health conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment. Local resident feedback helps identify major health concerns, gaps in services, and other factors that impact community health.

Community members who received a survey in their mailbox should return surveys by July 7 to have their perspectives included. Reminder postcards arrived this week and include a QR code to take the survey online if participants no longer have their physical copy. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and is available in English and Spanish. The current survey response rate is about ten percent, which is normal for this stage of the survey, with the ultimate goal being at least 30 percent. Survey results will be used for strategic planning, establishing grant criteria, and investing in new programs addressing local health issues.

Survey results will also determine if existing programs continue. Some of the existing programs identified as needed through the last survey include:

• Fall and injury prevention programs like Stepping On, Stop the Bleed, and helmet distribution.

• Physical activity programs like GoNoodle in local elementary schools, investments in the Summer Trails Challenge, and Walk with a Doc.

• Nutrition programs like investing in Gallatin Valley Farm to School and Teaching Kitchen at the Bozeman Public Library, as well as a new Produce Prescription Program delivering locally grown vegetables and fruits to families.

• Mental Health focused programs like the Are You In? campaign focused on healthy coping, 988 posters designed by Montana State University students, and Youth Aware of Mental Health in local schools.

• Access programs like vouchers for mammograms, discounted bloodwork, rural fire department investments, and service coordination for homeless individuals via the Housing First Village and Medical Respite.

  New focus areas such as affordable housing, childcare, and aging services could emerge from the results of the survey currently be conducted. Bozeman Health welcomes your assistance in encouraging community members who have received a survey to complete and return it.

  Questions about your survey? Call the Montana Office of Rural Health at 406-994-5653.

About Bozeman Health

Bozeman Health is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving an eight-county region in Southwest Montana. As a nonprofit organization, governed by a volunteer community board of directors, we are the largest private employer in Gallatin County, with more than 2,400 employees, including 250 medical providers representing 40 clinical specialties. It is our privilege to deliver expert, compassionate health and wellness services across the care continuum, designed to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the communities we serve. Learn more about Bozeman Health at BozemanHealth.org.