Jackson County Public Health releases Community Health Assessment

Jackson County Public Health (JCPH) has released its new Community Health Assessment, offering a data-driven snapshot of the county’s health alongside community-driven health priorities.

“While no document can ever capture the full scope of our residents’ lived experiences, a Community Health Assessment enables us to identify emerging health trends and areas where public health interventions are most urgently needed,” Bridgette Shaffer, Health Director of JCPH said.

 The final document, which can be found here, provides an in-depth look into 14 topics currently impacting the health of EJC.

To better understand the factors affecting the health of our jurisdiction, JCPH conducts a CHA every five years. Most recently, this process included analyzing local and state health data, examining the potential health impact of local policies, and receiving survey responses from more than a thousand EJC households about their health and the communities they live in. 

JCPH also worked closely with community focus groups and interviewed key stakeholders to better understand where residents would like to see the most change.

As part of these efforts, two key priority areas were identified impacting Eastern Jackson County's health: 

Economic Stability
The county poverty rate according to the assessment is 7%; Grain Valley's poverty rate is lower than the county at 5%.

1 in 5 survey respondents had to choose between buying food or paying other bills within the last year. In a release JCPH stated, "from nutritious food to safe living conditions, financial security has an enormous impact on one’s health."

Mental Health
Approximately 1 in 4 EJC residents have experienced depression, surpassing the national average of nearly 1 in 5 adults (CDC). In Grain Valley, 25% of residents reported experiencing depressing, 2 percentage points higher than the county average.


In terms of community strengths, residents overwhelmingly pointed to Grain Valley as a good place to raise kids (82%) and the quality of the public schools (75%). In terms of community concerns, distracted driving (44%), access to public transportation (43%), and access to affordable health care (36%) ranked highly among Grain Valley residents.

For more information about the 2023 CHA, including in-depth city reports, visit jcph.org. 

Grain Valley Community Assessment Report:
​FINAL - Grain Valley (jcph.org)