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GCHCC publishes community health assessment
Mental health and housing are selected as top health themes for Green County to address
Green County Healthy Community Coalition

MONROE — The Green County 2024 Community Health Assessment report is now available on the Green County Healthy Community Coalition (GCHCC) website. To access the report, visit greencohcc.org. This report highlights data gathered throughout 2024, showing Green County’s strengths and areas for improvement. The GCHCC conducts this assessment every three years to learn about emerging health issues in our community. 

The Green County Healthy Community Coalition has existed since the early 1990s and is co-chaired by Green County Public Health and SSM Health Monroe Hospital representatives. The coalition’s mission is “fostering collaborative efforts to assess needs, define resources, and recognize opportunities to build healthier communities that support healthy lifestyles.” 

Representatives from over 50 different organizations across the county are coalition members. By working together through the coalition, they can have a more significant collective impact on the issues they’re working on. 

The 2024 Community Health Assessment took place from May 2024 through September 2024. During the assessment, the coalition surveyed community members, interviewed leaders in Green County and hosted conversations with small groups of community members. In addition to receiving input from community members, the coalition gathered secondary sources of data. 

After the coalition completed the assessment, the results were shared with coalition members at a meeting in September 2024. At this meeting, coalition members discussed which health issues the community should and can address. Through small group discussions and the coming to a more significant group consensus, the coalition selected mental health and housing as the two primary health topics to focus on for the next few years. Mental health and housing were recurring themes that came up during the community health assessment while talking with community members and in the data. 

“We know that health isn’t only about what we eat and how much we exercise, but the places we live, our relationships, our jobs, access to healthcare, and many other factors that contribute to our health,” said RoAnn Warden, Health Officer at Green County Public Health. “We heard again and again from community members that mental health and housing are issues in Green County, and the data reflects this. The strong partnerships within our coalition and in Green County will help us make positive improvements.”

The coalition’s next step is developing the 2025-2027 Community Health Improvement Plan. Over the next three months, the coalition will meet to develop goals, objectives, and activities to improve mental health and housing in Green County. The meetings are open to any community member, and all are invited. For more information about upcoming meetings, please complete the “Contact Us” form on the GCHCC website: greencohcc.org.

Anyone interested in Green County’s health is invited to participate in the Green County Healthy Community Coalition. Opportunities range from being included on the coalition email list to attending quarterly meetings to participating in workgroups working on health-related projects. To talk with someone about how to join the coalition, fill out the “Contact Us” form on the coalition website.