Texas Health Unveils 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment

ARLINGTON, Texas - An in-depth review by Texas Health Resources to identify the biggest needs and challenges impacting North Texans' health has revealed access to food, isolation and transportation are among major barriers to well-being and that mental health and chronic disease outcomes are worsening in multiple regions.

Based on the findings of the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), Texas Health has identified four priority areas to focus on through 2028:

• Healthcare Access, Navigation and Literacy - Improving access to affordable care and helping individuals navigate the healthcare system
• Transportation - Addressing barriers that limit access to care, employment and healthy food
• Connectedness - Strengthening social support and reducing isolation to improve mental and physical health
• Food Insecurity - Expanding access to nutritious food and education on healthy eating

The assessment, conducted every three years in compliance with the Affordable Care Act, is based on extensive data analysis and input from nearly 650 stakeholders, including residents, community organizations and local leaders.

"These priorities reflect what we heard directly from our communities," said Barclay Berdan, FACHE, CEO of Texas Health. "Access is the common denominator - whether it's access to care, transportation, food or social support. By focusing on these areas, we aim to remove barriers that prevent people from living healthier lives."

The study analyzed 16 counties across six regions in North Texas: Collin (Collin and Hunt counties), Dallas and Rockwall (Dallas and Rockwall counties), Denton (Denton and Wise counties), Kaufman (Ellis, Henderson and Kaufman counties), Southern (Comanche, Eastland, Erath, Hood and Johnson counties), and Tarrant (Parker and Tarrant counties).

Key findings of the study include:

• Insurance gaps: All 16 counties fall below national benchmarks for insured adults (ages 18-64), contributing to delayed care or making healthcare services financially inaccessible. Dallas County has the highest uninsured rate.
• Preventive care: Nearly every county is below national averages for annual primary care visits and colon screenings, with Tarrant and Dallas having the greatest barriers. Provider shortages compound access issues.
• Behavioral health: Frequent mental distress affects 15% to 20% of adults and depression impacts 20% to 26%, with rural Erath County reporting the highest rates. Suicide rates in Parker, Wise, and Johnson counties exceed state and national averages.
• Chronic disease: High blood pressure impacts 31% to 41% of adults, obesity rates range from 30% to 41% and diabetes prevalence reaches 16% in multiple counties.
• Food insecurity: Nearly every county is above the national rate of 12% for the number of adults reporting food insecurity in the past 12 months, with Dallas (24%), Tarrant (19%) and Hunt (19%) counties most affected.
• Transportation barriers: Lack of reliable transportation affects 7% to 13% of adults and is highest in Dallas County.
• Connectedness: Every county reports rates of isolation and lack of emotional support among adults that exceed national norms.
• Housing instability: Housing insecurity affects 10% to 19% of adults, with Dallas and Tarrant showing the greatest risk. Utility shut-off threats affect 7% to 13% of adults.

The findings will be used to guide efforts under Texas Health Community Hope - a broad range of innovative programs, strategic investments and community collaborations aimed at improving the health of North Texans.

In the past three years, Texas Health achieved significant progress in improving community health, including distributing more than 1.3 million pounds of food to those in high-need communities, bringing healthcare to over 5,600 individuals through the mobile health program and providing mental health training and resources to 19 school districts.

"Armed with this comprehensive analysis of the current challenges we're up against, Texas Health has created a targeted action plan, so we can continue to address barriers head-on," said Catherine Oliveros, DrPh, vice president of Texas Health Community Improvement, part of Texas Health Community Hope. "We will again team up with local organizations in each community to implement innovative strategies to tackle the tasks ahead, because we know we can accomplish more when we work together."

Since 2019, Texas Health has awarded more than $23 million in Texas Health Community Impact grants to local organizations that work collaboratively to creatively tackle the health disparities and socioeconomic hardships impacting North Texans. You can read more about the impact from those grants in this report.

For the full Texas Health 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment report and details by ZIP code, click here.