Voices of U of U Health
Listening First: What We’ve Learned About Health Needs in Utah
By Rylee Curtis, MPP, and Marie Cone Le Beaumont, MBA-HA
At University of Utah Health, improving health starts with listening. Over the past year, we worked alongside the Utah Community Health Needs Assessment Collaborative to hear directly from the people who matter most: residents, patients, community organizations, and health care partners across the state.
Through surveys, nearly 30 community input meetings, and conversations with patient and family advisory councils, thousands of voices helped shape the 2026–2029 Community Health Needs Assessment. What we heard was clear, consistent, and deeply human.
While Utah has many strengths, persistent barriers make it harder for people to maintain their health, particularly for those already facing economic, cultural, or geographic challenges.
Where We Listened and Why It Matters
The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) reflects health data and trends across Utah. Our deepest community engagement focused on six counties: Salt Lake, Davis, Summit, Utah, Tooele, and Washington.
These counties represent a diverse cross-section of Utah—urban centers, growing suburbs, rural communities. Concentrating in-person engagement in these counties let us listen more deeply to residents who are closely connected to our services. We captured experiences shaped by geography, culture, income, and access to resources.
We balanced this deep local engagement with statewide quantitative data, insights from patient and family advisory councils, and regional health indicators. Using individual voices with population-level trends helped us identify shared priorities and place-specific needs.
The result: a Community Health Needs Assessment grounded in meaningful input that informs action across the communities we are best positioned to serve.
Three Priorities Rose to the Top
Across every data source and every county, three themes emerged as most urgent:
- Access to health care
- Behavioral health
- Social determinants of health
These priorities were more than statistical patterns. They were voiced again and again in living rooms, community centers, and conference rooms across Utah. U of U Health leaders validated these priorities as areas where our system can lead and have the greatest impact.
Behavioral Health Is a Primary Concern for Communities
Behavioral health was the most frequently cited concern statewide. Community members spoke openly about rising stress, anxiety, depression, substance use, and suicide, along with how these challenges affect families, workplaces, and entire communities.
What We Learned:
- Salt Lake County: Residents described behavioral health as the root issue behind many other health challenges. Stigma remains a barrier to seeking care.
- Tooele County: Stigma—including cultural stigma—continues to prevent individuals from seeking timely support.
- Washington County: Residents raised concern over suicide rates exceeding national benchmarks and limited access to specialty care.
Across all counties, people emphasized the need for culturally responsive, linguistically accessible, and non-crisis behavioral health services.
Access to Health Care Is About More Than Distance
Having a clinic nearby does not guarantee access. Across Utah, residents described a web of interconnected barriers:
- High cost of care
- Insurance gaps
- Long wait times and provider shortages
- Transportation limitations
- Language and cultural barriers
- Difficulty navigating the system or finding trustworthy information
What We Learned:
- Salt Lake County: Residents emphasized that affordability, health literacy, and cultural competency matter as much as physical proximity.
- Summit County: Transportation is a defining barrier for residents living outside Park City’s core, especially workers commuting from rural communities.
- Utah County: Affordability emerged as a top concern.
Across every county, people stressed that culturally competent, affordable care is essential—not optional.
Social Determinants of Health and Food Insecurity
While social determinants of health encompass housing, transportation, education, and economic stability, one universal concern emerged: food insecurity.
Residents described rising food costs, limited access to fresh options, and difficult choices between groceries, utilities, housing, and medical care.
What We Learned:
- Salt Lake County: Economic pressure and rising housing costs make food insecurity a growing concern.
- Davis County: Even with strong economic indicators, youth and families in noted pockets are experiencing growing food insecurity and other needs.
- Utah County: Rapid growth is stretching resources; westside communities and Provo reported heightened food insecurity.
- Washington County: Higher poverty and uninsured rates make food access a primary concern tied to overall well-being.
Across every county, transportation was repeatedly identified as the critical link affecting food access, employment, education, and health.
From Listening to Building
More than a report, the Community Health Needs Assessment is a road map shaped by lived experience and a commitment to action. Now the real work begins.
Over the next several months, U of U Health will move from listening to building. We’ll develop a Community Health Improvement Plan to outline the goals we will pursue together during this cycle of the Community Health Needs Assessment.
Our model of change is informed by the Impact Partnership Model used by University Neighborhood Partners. It includes:
- Community voices
- University of Utah collaborators
- Organizational partners
These elements come together in shared learning spaces where expertise, lived experience, and research intersect.
Developing a Community Health Improvement Plan
Aligning Work Across the System
The Community Health Improvement Plan is designed to align U of U Health system priorities with the priorities identified by communities across Utah. The knowledge and data we gain through the Community Health Needs Assessment helps us understand the most pressing health needs.
Building on that foundation, we developed a systemwide survey to gather examples of existing efforts across our research, education, and clinical care missions that already support the three priority areas. This approach allows us to map where strengths, partnerships, and momentum already exist. From there, we can create a clearer path for coordination, amplification, and collective impact.
Connecting with Local Health Districts Across Six Counties of Focus
We’re strengthening alignment between U of U Health’s clinical leaders and the local health districts by reviewing local Community Health Improvement Plans and identifying shared goals.
Co-Creating Goals Through Meaningful Partnerships
We will be convening community members, partners, and health sciences teams to identify opportunities to connect university resources with community priorities. These partnerships will guide our co-created goals for Community Health Improvement Plans, to be published in May 2026.
