2026 Missoula County Community Health Assessment

Project Background:

Missoula Public Health and partners are in the process of updating the Community Health Assessment (CHA), a document compiled every few years that provides a clear, reliable picture of local health issues and needs of individuals and communities.

To gather data for the Community Health Assessment, staff and volunteers will be conducting a short in-person survey Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 13-16, in select neighborhoods in Missoula, Seeley Lake, Frenchtown, Milltown, Clinton, and Lolo.

Completing the Community Health Assessment will allow MPH and healthcare partners to more effectively secure funding, allocate resources and plan strategically. For example, previous versions of the health assessment identified substance use disorder as a priority. This information helped MPH secure opioid abatement funding and prompted Community Medical Center to open a detox center.

In addition to the surveys, the Community Health Assessment will include a review and analysis of MPH, state and federal public health data. MPH hopes to have a draft report available for public review in the next few months.

What is a Community Health Assessment?

A Community Health Assessment is a required document to maintain accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving and protecting public health. Although accreditation is voluntary, an accredited health department means that programs are held to a higher level of effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. A Community Health Assessment must be done every three years. The last year MPH completed a Community Health Assessment was in 2023.

Who are the other partners for the Community Health Assessment?

Missoula Public Health is collaborating with All Nations Health Center, Community Medical Center, Partnership Health Center, Providence St. Patrick and the University of Montana to update the assessment for 2026.

How do I get involved?

Residents are invited to volunteer with community outreach and data collection Oct. 13 -16. Volunteers must be at least 18. Click here to sign-up.