Essentia Health partners with local groups to identify community health needs and drive improvements

Essentia Health's mission is to make a healthy difference in people's lives, and that work extends beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics.

Just like patients, each community has unique needs. To determine priorities, Essentia conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every three years in each community that is home to one of its 14 hospitals. Town hall meetings, focus groups and surveys are among the ways Essentia collects information on what is important to people and what gaps we can help to address.

A variety of needs are always discovered and addressed to the best of our ability. This includes things like access to healthy food, social drivers of health, exercise, injury prevention, education and much more.

The key to gathering accurate data is to get input from a wide range of community members, particularly those who are medically underserved and those in minority groups. The information helps health systems decide how to make the greatest impact and which areas to focus on.

"At Essentia, our commitment to the communities we serve is at the heart of everything we do,” said Emily Kuenstler, Essentia’s community health director. “We believe that true health care extends far beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics—it's about partnering with local organizations, listening to diverse voices and addressing the unique needs that impact well-being every day. By conducting regular Community Health Needs Assessments and investing in programs that promote nutrition, physical activity and access to resources, we're dedicated to making a lasting, positive difference in people's lives."

You can read more about this process, and its results, for each of the communities Essentia serves by clicking one of the following links:

• Ada
• Aurora
• Brainerd
• Deer River
• Detroit Lakes
• Duluth
• Fargo
• Fosston
• Graceville
• Moose Lake
• Sandstone
• Superior
• Virginia

Community Health Needs Assessments are posted publicly online at EssentiaHealth.org/About/CHNA. Here, you can learn more about the work Essentia has identified through these surveys, completed and is working to complete moving forward.