Findings from HealthMap 2025 include:

• Poor housing quality or inadequate housing conditions contribute to negative health outcomes, including chronic disease and injury. Lead, mold or asbestos, poor air quality and overcrowding can lead to irreversible health effects. As a community, we must increase housing security and address housing costs in order to improve the health of all residents.
• Poor mental health remains a key issue. More than a quarter of Franklin County residents report feeling lonely. Loneliness is higher among recently pregnant women, individuals with lower household incomes, and individuals with disabilities.
• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) significantly contribute to poor health outcomes. ACEs are traumatic events like violence, abuse or neglect during childhood that have long term effects on mental and physical health. In Franklin County, the highest prevalence of those with four or more ACEs is among Black individuals, those younger than age 65, and individuals with a disability.
• Maternal and infant health remain priority health issues. The health of a mother – before, during and after pregnancy – has a direct impact on the health of a child. Indicators show an increased focus on maternal health, including early pre-pregnancy care, could reduce the infant mortality rate.
• Injury and violence directly affect the health and wellbeing of residents. Americans ages 1 to 44 die from injuries and violence like motor vehicle crashes, suicide, overdoses or homicides more than any other cause. In Franklin County, accidents are the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 59. Intentional self-harm and assaults were the fourth and fifth leading causes of death for this age group.

Other health issues raised in the report include the need to increase cancer screening and physical activity and decrease tobacco use (especially among youth), firearm injuries and incidents of sexually transmitted disease.

The HealthMap helps drive initiatives that improve individual and community health and serves as a guide to target and prioritize resources, strengthen community relationships, and provide information that contributes to keeping people healthy. The report covers social determinants of health, health resource availability, behavioral health, wellness care, maternal and child health, oral health, mental and social health, infectious diseases, youth issues, and death, illness and injury.

COHC and our health departments now turn to addressing priority areas through a collective impact model. As leading health organizations in our community, we are working to better align our health improvement efforts. As we have done in the past, in areas such as infant mortality and drug overdoses, our hospitals and health departments are working to better coordinate efforts to address our community’s most pressing health needs. We are reaching out to community organizations, state and local elected officials and other community leaders that serve, care for and support our residents to join us in this work.