2022-2024 Community Health Assessment

Polk-Norman-Mahnomen Community Health Services

Introduction

The Polk-Norman-Mahnomen Community Health Board (PNM CHB), governed by seven-members, is a multi-county community health services (CHS) entity responsible to provide local governmental public health services. Through delegation and sharing agreements, all powers and duties are delegated to the two-member health departments, Polk County Public Health and Norman-Mahnomen Public Health. We are pleased to present the 2022-2024 Community Health Assessment (CHA) to better understand health issues facing the communities of Polk, Norman and Mahnomen Counties.

The Community Health Assessment provides a quantitative and qualitative data snapshot of the factors that impact health of the people living in the communities which the PNM CHB serves. Over the past two years, together with community partners, we have collaboratively supported partner Community Health Needs Assessments and Community Needs Assessments, while collecting and prioritizing data from local, state and national sources as well as input from public health surveys and conversations with community members who have knowledge or expertise in public health and/or are experience health inequities. PNM CHS followed a modified version of the Community Health Improvement Framework “Mobilizing Action for Planning and Partnership” (MAPP) to gather information and develop a Community Health Assessment (CHA) revealing the most pressing health needs across the service area. The data collected was limited by the availability of county-level data, community input, survey responses, and time. Through this framework, a structured, focused discussion through consideration of data, participant’s reaction and responses, possible solutions and agreed future strategies was utilized among community health partners. Findings from the CHA are used to identify, develop, and target strategies to improve health challenges in the community. Facilitated by public health leaders and strategists, this framework, paired with Results Based Accountability, helps communities apply strategic thinking to prioritize public health issues and identify community driven solutions and resources for collective action. The Community Health Assessment is intended to be a living document which will be updated as additional data becomes available. We encourage the use of this assessment as a starting place for understanding the health of our communities, working to increase health and wellbeing, and planning for the future.

Thank you to the individuals, organization, and partners who have been involved throughout the health assessment and planning process. A special thank you to Patrick Olson, Data Analyst, for assisting PNM CHS with gathering data from a variety of state and national sources in the development of a more comprehensive Community Health Assessment to meet public health accreditation standards and measures, Assessment and Surveillance Foundational Public Health capability and inform meaningful local action.

Thank you to the community members and partners of Polk, Norman and Mahnomen Counties for participating in the community health surveys and conversations.

We welcome your continued feedback and engagement. Comments or questions regarding this report can be directed to: Sarah Reese, Polk-Norman-Mahnomen CHS Administrator at 218-281-3385.