OTTAWA COUNTY — Mental health and affordable housing are among the top concerns of Ottawa County residents, health care providers and key stakeholders, according to a recent report.
Results of the latest Ottawa County Community Health Needs Assessment were released on Wednesday, May 22. The survey is conducted every three years by Healthy Ottawa to understand the health needs of Ottawa County residents. Healthy Ottawa is made up of several local agencies and hospitals.
The latest edition of CHNA interviewed or surveyed more than 1,500 adults in the county, including community members, health professionals and community leaders, throughout 2023. To view the full 224-page report, visit healthyottawa.org.
Topping the list are persistent and growing concerns about mental health.
“That stood out to us as the biggest, most important and most critical need for our community,” said Michaela Andrea, Holland Hospital’s behavioral health and care management director and Healthy Ottawa committee member.
“Adults in Ottawa County are reporting the highest levels of mental distress, depression and anxiety since we began CHNA in 2011,” Andrea says. “This data really supports what we’re hearing locally as health professionals.”
Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, a telephone survey of the county’s general population, revealed mental health trends: Of the more than 1,000 people surveyed, 16.5% reported having poor mental health 14 or more days per month, the highest percentage ever for a category that has been increasing per CHNA.
Additionally, 34.5% reported “mild to severe mental distress,” up from 19.8% in 2020. The percentage of people receiving treatment for that distress increased from 39.2% to 43.4%.
8.9% of people said they had thought about suicide, up from 4.9% in the 2020 CHNA.
Contributing to the rise in mental health issues is a lack of access to health care providers.
“We know that there aren’t enough of these types of providers nationwide,” Andrea said, “and the market has become very competitive in recruiting and retaining these providers, and the results of that disparity obviously impact the communities they serve.”
Andrea added that despite efforts to counter this trend, the stigma around seeking mental health care still exists.
CHNA also looks at affordable housing, child care and access to food. While they may not be directly related to health, these and other factors make up what are called “social determinants of health.” These areas affect a person’s ability to meet their basic needs and can impact both physical and mental health, Andrea said.
Of course, the report also found some positive trends.
That includes the percentage of Ottawa County adults who have health insurance and those who don’t: Just 7.1% report not having health insurance, the lowest percentage since the CHNA began in 2011.
“This shows that the vast majority of our community, 93 percent, are insured, which bodes well for things like access to care,” Andrea says. “Many clinics and health care providers require you to have insurance to be seen.”
The survey also found a decline in reported obesity, more women over 40 getting preventive care such as mammograms, and more adults taking part in leisure-time physical activity.
The percentage of adults who reported being obese fell to 28.7% in the 2023 survey, down from 34.5% in 2020. 97.6% of women over 40 had had a mammogram, up from 78.4% in the previous survey — both the highest rates since 2011.
Just 10.2% of adults reported not engaging in any leisure-time physical activity, down from 16.4% in 2020 and the lowest figure reported in the CHNA.
Going forward, Andrea said the relevant agencies will work together to develop a plan to improve the region’s health.
“We believe that mental health and access to mental health treatment is going to be one of the things the community needs to address,” Andrea said.
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Agencies involved include Ottawa County Community Mental Health, CoreWell Health Zeeland Hospital, Holland Hospital, Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance, Community Spoke, Ottawa County Public Health, Trinity Health Grand Haven Hospital and Ottawa and Allegan County United Way (now Heart of West Michigan United Way).
Andrea said organizations working together at CHNA strengthens the community.
“We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to have the health system, the nonprofit and community health work together in a comprehensive and powerful way to create the (CHNA) and then execute the health improvement plan,” Andrea said.
“We’re really fortunate to have this partnership and a joint interest across the region in learning about and addressing health issues in our community.”
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com
