Monterey County Community Health Needs Assessment Released

The Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative has released the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), a comprehensive assessment of population health and health needs in Monterey County.

A CHNA provides information so that community organizations may use comprehensive data to identify health issues of greatest concern and decide to commit resources to those areas. This can have the greatest possible impact on community health.

The following "Areas of Opportunity" for Monterey County were identified that are the highest health priorities for the county:

1. Diabetes
2. Access to Health Care Services
3. Nutrition, Physical Activity & Weight
4. Mental Health
5. Heart Disease & Stroke
6. Substance Abuse
7. Cancer
8. Housing
9. Infant Health & Family Planning
10. Injury & Violence
11. Respiratory Disease
12. Tobacco Use

To view the 2025 Monterey County Community Health Needs Assessment report, visit https://www.healthymontereycounty.org.

PARTNERSHIP

The Monterey County Health Needs Collaborative is a partnership of hospitals, health organizations and community agencies working together to improve the health and well-being of Monterey County residents. Founded in 2022, the Collaborative includes the County of Monterey Health Department, Mee Memorial Healthcare System, Montage Health, Natividad, Salinas Valley Health, and United Way Monterey County. In 2025, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and Central California Alliance for Health (Alliance) joined the collaborative.

Not-for-profit hospitals must complete a CHNA every three years, and Health Departments must do one every five years. By combining expertise, resources and community engagement, the Collaborative strives to identify and address the most pressing health challenges facing our region.

PROJECT GOALS

The 2025 CHNA is a follow-up of a similar study conducted in 2022. It is a systematic, data-driven approach to determining the health status, behaviors and needs of residents in Monterey County. It may be used to inform decisions and guide efforts to improve community health and wellness and serves as a tool toward reaching three basic goals:

1. To improve residents' health status, increase their life spans, and elevate their overall quality of life.
2. To reduce the health disparities among residents.
3. To increase accessibility to preventive services for all community residents.

METHODOLOGY

The 2025 CHNA examines health needs specific to Monterey County. The assessment considered more than 200 indicators in six domains, including region, age, gender, race/ethnicity, income levels and sexual orientation.

The CHNA consists of both primary and secondary data. Primary data includes 2,205 online surveys and 800 phone calls in English and Spanish, as well as key informant surveys and feedback. Secondary data includes county, state and national data, as well as Healthy People 2030 Objectives. Trending data, as revealed by comparison to 2022 survey results, is provided throughout this report whenever available. Historical data for secondary indicators are also included for trend analysis.

The information gathered will help:

• Identify priority health concerns, such as mental health, chronic disease, access to care and nutrition.
• Inform hospitals, public health agencies and local organizations on where to focus resources and services.
• Support the development of health programs, funding opportunities and policy changes that directly benefit our community.

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE & LEARN

In addition to the Collaborative members, community organizations are invited to use the CHNA data for everything from planning to grant reporting for health outcomes. United Way Monterey County is scheduling a Health Data Dive workshop on February 11, 2026, for community-focused organizations to review the assessment information and teach users how to access results. For more information, visit https://www.unitedwaymcca.org/contact-us