Collective Impact Collaboration
The Franklin County Community Health Needs Assessment Steering Committee is pleased to provide a comprehensive overview of our community’s health status and needs via the Franklin County HealthMap 2025. The Steering Committee is a collective impact collaborative made up of community partners and stakeholder organizations across the County.
HealthMap 2025 Introduction
Franklin County HealthMap2025 is the result of a continuing, collaborative effort coordinated by the Central Ohio Hospital Council (COHC), Columbus Public Health (CPH), and Franklin County Public Health (FCPH). The intent of this effort is to help health departments, hospitals, social service agencies, and other community organizations identify and address the unmet health needs of Franklin County residents. By characterizing and understanding the prevalence of acute and chronic health conditions, access to care barriers, and other health issues, these community partners can ensure resources are focused so that they have the greatest impact.
Priority Health Needs
The prioritized health needs affecting Franklin County residents, as identified by the Franklin County HealthMap 2025 Steering Committee, include: Social drivers of health with a focus on housing; mental health, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); maternal-infant health and violence and injury related deaths.
Social Drivers of Health with a Focus on Housing
Non-medical factors, such as economic stability, education and healthcare access, transportation and neighborhood safety, are key drivers of good health outcomes. According to Healthy People 2030, addressing the quality of housing as a public health issue may help prevent and reduce negative health outcomes. This is because poor housing quality and inadequate housing conditions can contribute to negative health outcomes, including chronic disease and injury. Furthermore, the presence of lead, mold, or asbestos, poor air quality and overcrowding can lead to irreversible health effects. In addition, overcrowded homes may be at risk for poor mental health, food insecurity, and infectious disease.
Mental Health
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 23% of U.S. adults (1 in 5 adults) experienced mental illness in 2021 with 5.5% of adults (1 in 20 adults)experiencing a serious mental illness. And per the CDC, social isolation and loneliness are widespread problems in the U.S. and pose a serious threat to both mental and physical health. Social isolation can increase a person’s risk for heart disease, self-harm, dementia and eventually may lead to an earlier death.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are traumatic events that occur during childhood (i.e., before age 18) and impact mental health. Examples of ACEs include violence, abuse, or neglect, as well as contextual factors that might negatively affect a child’s sense of safety or stability, such as growing up in a household with people who have substance use problems, mental health problems, or parents who were separated or in jail. Research shows that ACEs can have lasting effects on health and wellbeing in childhood, as well as impact one’s education and job potential into adulthood.
Maternal and Infant Health
Healthy children need healthy parents. The health of the mother – before, during, and after pregnancy – has a direct impact on the health of the child. Biological and neurological sciences show that the predictors of healthy child development begin before pregnancy, with the health of the mother, and continue after the birth, with the mother-child relationship.
Violence and Injury Related Deaths
Injury and violence affect everyone, regardless of age, race, or economic status. According to the CDC, Americans aged 1 to 44 die from injuries and violence – such as motor vehicle crashes, suicide, overdoses, or homicides – more than any other cause. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for this age group, while homicide remains in the top five leading causes of death. Overall, drug overdose remains the leading cause of injury related death among adults in the United States.
Next Steps and How to Get Involved
Following the completion of the Franklin County HealthMap 2025, FCPH will begin work on the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a process led by the Health Works Franklin County (HWFC) Coalition. The primary goal of HWFC is the integration and coordination of social determinants of health data, policy and planning efforts with the public health system. After the CHIP is complete, FCPH will serve as the backbone organization to provide ongoing support for the work that will be done by many partner organizations to address the priority areas, outcomes, strategies and action steps identified in the CHIP.