Results are in from ‘Mat-Su Community Health Needs Assessment’

MAT-SU — A survey of 526 people in the Mat-Su Borough identified the community’s five biggest health challenges.

Undertaken by the Mat-Su Health Foundation, the “2012 Mat-Su Community Health Needs Assessment” provides an overview of priorities as identified residents. The majority of responses collected at 23 community meetings and via an online survey ranked alcohol and substance abuse as the most serious health problem facing the Mat-Su.

Rounding out the top five health priorities are:

• children experiencing trauma and violence,

• depression and suicide,

• domestic violence and sexual assault,

• and behavioral health care system in need of repair.

“Now that the community has spoken and identified its highest priority health issues, Mat-Su Health Foundation will work to provide leadership and funding to address the most pressing concerns: improving access for children and adults to mental health care and substance abuse treatment and preventing childhood trauma,” Mat-Su Health Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Ripley said. “Our board of directors decided last year that the foundation could be most effective by concentrating its work in several major focus areas. The first focus area selected was Healthy Seniors, and our work there is well underway. Now we are adding Behavioral Health and Childhood Trauma as foci and beginning the process to work with community partners to improve treatment and prevention efforts here in Mat-Su.”

All of the top health issues and goals identified by the community survey were related to behavioral health.

Top health issues

• Alcohol and substance abuse.

• Child abuse and violence.

• Access to mental health care.*

• Depression and suicide.*

• Domestic Violence and sexual assault.*

Top health goals

• Children are safe and well cared for.

• All Mat-Su residents are drug free and either sober or drink responsibly.

• All Mat-Su residents are able to find, access and benefit from health care.

• All Mat-Su residents are able to find, access and benefit from mental health care.*

• We live in a violence-free community.*

• We all have healthy relationships.*

* Note: The last three health issues and health goals received the same number of votes.

Find the full 164-page “Mat-Su Community Health Needs Assessment” as well as an executive summary and details of how the community ranked health issues and goals online at healthymatsu.org.