Executive Summary – Community Health Needs Assessment Visioning
The purpose of a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) always centers around reducing health disparities, promoting health equity, and improving overall population health. On March 12th, 2025, the Community Health Visioning Session launched Dent County’s 2025 CHNA, a collaborative project between Dent County Health Center (DCHC) and Salem Memorial Hospital. To guide the community-driven strategic planning process for improving community health, community members assembled to discuss their hopes for the county’s health future.
The purpose of the visioning session was to:
•Increase community awareness, excitement, dedication, and engagement.
•Establish focus, purpose, and direction to the CHNA process.
•Create a shared vision and corresponding value statements.
For the purpose of this event, the following definitions were used:
•Vision: a statement of what the ideal future looks like.
•Values: fundamental principles and beliefs that guide a community-driven planning process.
The input from the Community Health Visioning Session was used in the development of our community vision and values:
Vision Statement
Building a Stronger, Healthier Future – A community committed to prevention, education, and accessibility, ensuring every individual has the opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and fulfilling life.
Community Values
Trust – Establishing reliability and confidence between residents, healthcare providers, and organizations to foster meaningful engagement and ensure effective health initiatives.
Collaboration – Encouraging partnerships among local agencies, businesses, and individuals to improve access to healthcare, education, and resources for a healthier community.
Follow-Through – Ensuring that commitments made by organizations and leaders are upheld, reinforcing accountability and the success of long-term health improvements.
Growth – Continuously advancing community health efforts through education, innovation, and policy improvements to create a thriving and sustainable environment for all.
The Community Health Visioning Session resulted in enthusiastic engagement and set the tone for future broad participation in the comprehensive health assessment and improvement process. The vision statement and values will ensure that the latter steps of the strategic planning process align with the image of a desired and possible future that our community seeks to achieve. With a shared vision and commitment to improved health, collaborating as a community will yield better results than working alone.
Process
To ensure a diverse representation of community members invitations were openly extended to the broader community through email, and word of mouth. On March 12th, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, 15 community members convened to actively participate in the community visioning session. Zachary Moser, DCHC’s Administrator, welcomed the community members and provided an overview of Dent County’s current health outcomes. Jessica Ricks, DCHC’s Population Health Director, served as the lead facilitator for the interactive and inclusive brainstorming process.
Through facilitated discussion, the following questions were addressed:
•What are important characteristics of a healthy community for all who live, work, and play here?
•How do you envision the local public health system in the next 5 to 10 years?
•What are some of the positives about the health status of Dent County?
•What community strengths should we build upon?
•What problems do you see with the health status of Dent County?
•What can we do to improve the health of Dent County?
Participants also completed and submitted individual meeting evaluations, which were then compiled and summarized. Majority of participants noted what they liked most about the event was the open discussion and the opportunity to collaborate with different groups of the community.
Results
DCHC has completed its 2025 Community Health Assessment (CHA), a process designed to evaluate the overall health of our community and identify areas of strength and concern. This assessment combined secondary health data, community surveys (242 responses), and focus groups with local service providers to provide a comprehensive picture of community health.
Key Findings
- Substance Use (Drugs and Alcohol): Dent County’s drug overdose death rate is nearly double Missouri’s average. Alcohol Misuse also remains a concern, with 15% of adults reporting binge or heavy drinking.
- Healthcare Costs and Access: Residents expressed concern over affordability of care, coupled with projected Medicaid/Medicare enrollment reductions and high preventable hospital stay rates.
- Obesity and Chronic Disease: 40% of adults are obese, contributing to increased diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
- Cancer: Higher-than-state incidence rates of lung and colon cancers, alongside low mammography screening rates.
- Mental Health: 20% of residents report frequent mental distress; suicide rates are rising. Access to services and stigma remain barriers.
Other Notable Issues: Food insecurity, limited preventive services, tobacco/vaping, and maternal/infant health concerns.
Community Strengths: Strong trust in local health authorities, school-based prevention programs, and established collaboration across community partners.
Next Steps
- Partner Engagement: Convene a kickoff meeting with community partners to review results and begin selecting 3 to 5 priority health issues for the 2026-2029 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
- Quarterly CHIP Meetings: Establish a structure for quarterly CHIP steering committee meetings to maintain accountability, track progress, and adjust strategies as needed.
- Action Planning: Define measurable goals, evidence-based strategies, and assign lead agencies for each identified priority.
- Ongoing Communication: Publish the CHIP plan, provide annual updates, and ensure the community remains informed and involved.