LAS VEGAS, April 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and the Community Health Implementation Strategies (CHIS) for Nevada from Intermountain Health identifies where the greatest healthcare needs for the communities and the actions that must be taken to enhance community health.
Intermountain Health has published its new Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and the Community Health Implementation Strategies (CHIS) for Nevada, identifying where the greatest healthcare needs for the communities and the actions that must be taken to enhance community health.
The new assessment report found the most significant health needs in Clark County are: improvement in access to behavioral health care, invest in social drivers (such as housing, food, and safety), increase access to care, and preventing childhood injury and illness.
“These assessments are a data-driven process to help us prioritize health needs and then take action” said Lisa Nichols, vice president of community health at Intermountain Health. “By combining data with personal insight, we can focus our efforts where Intermountain Health can make the biggest impact on community health, we call these significant health needs.”
There is also a strong focus on early childhood health. Efforts such as screenings at well-child checks, immunizations, and safe sleep education help families protect their infants and prevent possible tragedies. This work also includes preventing abuse and neglect among children in our neighborhoods and communities.
The action plan also includes strengthening local coalitions and advocacy groups to help reach as many as possible.
“In Nevada, the data consistently points to behavioral health as a shared challenge across communities,” said Will Rucker, director of community health in Nevada at Intermountain Health. “We’re working to address this challenge through a more upstream approach by strengthening the conditions that shape well-being before a crisis occurs. That means building trust, increasing access through community-based collaborations, and increasing the capacity of community members, such as educators and other trusted adults, to recognize the signs and connect people to the right support at the right time.”
In southern Nevada communities, the report found that expanding behavioral health resources and strengthening suicide prevention efforts are vital. Action includes improving safety, including increasing access to safe firearm storage through gun locks and family education.
Early childhood health remains a key priority in Nevada. Efforts are centered on prevention, strengthening protective factors, and delivering culturally relevant injury prevention education to help adopt safe practices.
“We have been engaging with several groups and community organizations, such as RTC, Safe Kids of Clark County, and the YMCA, among others, to increase access to safety devices such as bike helmets and life vests,” Rucker said. “We all have similar goals, which are to protect and support our kids and families.”
Intermountain Health is working toward the Nevada Children’s Hospital to be built on the UNLV Research and Technology Park. The children’s hospital is slated to be completed by 2030.
The CHNA methodology includes working with community organizations, health departments, and more to find the greatest needs for the surrounding area.
The report and implementation strategies help Intermountain Health listen, focus, and act to community needs.
To find out more, the full report can be accessed here on the Intermountain Health CHNA webpage.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a nonprofit health plan called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.
Brad Gillman Intermountain Health 385.275.8245 intermountainnews@imail.org
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