Berrien County Health Department, Corewell Health encouraging community to participate in communit

The Berrien County Health Department, Corewell Health and other local organizations are teaming up to facilitate the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, a survey that will help organizations understand the current health needs in Southwest Michigan.

Community members of all ages living in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties are encouraged to provide feedback by Nov. 30. The survey can be found at spectrumhealthlakeland.org/chna.

The questionnaire asks participants to answer questions about food access, transportation infrastructure, housing infrastructure, health care access, public safety and more in the areas where they live and work. The survey also collects information to help identify barriers to access. All responses are anonymous.

This information will help local organizations develop new resources and improve accessibility so community members can live their healthiest lives.

“Through this survey, we’re hoping to better understand what our community needs in order to achieve optimal health,” said BCHD Health Officer Guy Miller. “We’re asking community members to make their voices heard so we can tailor our services to better serve the entire community and address its biggest needs.”

A report outlining the results will be published in December 2024 and the implementation strategy will be available in May 2025.

“We value the thoughts and perspectives of the people we serve throughout the community,” said Nicki Britten, director of population health for Corewell Health. “This assessment allows us to use their experiences to shape the landscape of health and human services in Southwest Michigan.”

To take the survey and find more information, visit spectrumhealthlakeland.org/chna.