What 1,900 data points told us, and how we’re responding

Improving health and wellbeing doesn’t happen by chance.

It happens when communities, data, and action come together with purpose.

That’s the role of Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs). At Intermountain Health, we gather and analyze public health data and community feedback through surveys, focus groups, and conversations with local organizations and leaders.

“It is important to not only hear community experiences, but also to validate them with data,” said Lisa Nichols, vice president of Community Health at Intermountain Health. “This approach helps us move from concern to clarity and then to action. It creates alignment between communities and Intermountain Health around where we can focus our efforts to do the greatest good and keep people well.”

Common needs, different approaches 

Across the communities Intermountain serves, CHNAs often identify similar priorities, such as increasing access to care, improving behavioral health, addressing social drivers of health, and preventing childhood injury and illness. 

What differs is how those needs show up locally. For example, the help needed to address food insecurity—a social driver of health—looks different in rural areas without public transportation than it does in dense urban areas. Intermountain is dedicated to ensuring that solutions reflect local resources, infrastructure, and strengths. We rely on CHNAs to help us recognize these differences while staying focused on shared health goals.

Turning assessments into action

CHNAs are not reports meant to sit on a shelf. They are a starting point and directly shape Implementation Strategies that guide funding, program design, and collaboration with community organizations.

These strategies help Intermountain align resources with community health priorities, including prevention, early support, and improved access to care. Intermountain boards review and approve them, and they are shared publicly to ensure accountability to the communities that helped shape them.

Listening at scale, acting locally

In 2025, Intermountain completed its largest CHNA effort to date, conducting 25 assessments across Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Colorado hospitals also finalized Implementation Strategies based on their 2024 CHNAs, and Montana started to gather data and community input to begin its next CHNA cycle in 2026.

In Utah and Idaho alone, more than 1,000 public surveys captured feedback across 27 counties. Nearly 240 stakeholder surveys gathered insights from community organizations serving thousands of people. Community meetings created space for open discussion and collaboration, while local leaders worked together to identify priorities. Nearly 1,900 data points helped sharpen focus and guide what comes next.

“This scale of listening matters,” said Anne Cazier, Community Health director for Utah and Idaho. “It allows us to understand patterns across communities while staying grounded in local context and ensuring our efforts reflect the communities we serve.”

What’s next

Intermountain will continue to engage communities through data collection, focus groups, and planning. Organizations that have not previously participated in focus groups are encouraged to reach out to ensure their perspectives are included in future cycles. We will continue to post the results on our website and encourage you to check in periodically to see updates in your local area.

By bringing together community input, data, and careful decision-making, Intermountain works to improve health in ways that are thoughtful, focused, and built to last—helping people live the healthiest lives possible.