Intermountain Health is focusing on Ways to Enhance the Health of Communities it Serves

Improving the mental well-being of residents — including suicide prevention — preventing avoidable disease and injury, and improving air quality are just three of the major community initiatives that Intermountain Health is focusing on to enhance the health of communities it serves.

As part of its report to the community, Intermountain publishes an annual guide outlining efforts to improve the health of communities through partnerships and collaborative programs that aim to communities in need, especially those considered at-risk.

The Intermountain Health Community Health Impact Report, details the health system’s efforts to provide charity care for patients in need, address the social determinants of health, and support vital community health initiatives, including support of key community resources and advocacy groups to improve the health of communities in need.

Intermountain’s community health work priorities include improving mental well-being, including suicide prevention, preventing avoidable disease and injury, and improving air quality. Intermountain has also prioritized efforts to address the social determinants – such as food insecurity and lack of affordable housing – and expand underrepresented and low-income families’ access to preventive health services.

“Intermountain works with many community partners, leaders, caregivers, and residents to improve community health across the areas that we serve,” said Mikelle Moore, Intermountain’s chief community health officer. “We strongly believe that by working together, we can make the world a healthier and safer place for all.”

Intermountain conducts Community Health Needs Assessments in communities which help identify and focus on problems that need immediate resources and attention. One major priority, for example, is the need to address and curb high suicide rates in Utah.

Utah was recently ranked ninth in the United States for the highest death by suicide rate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics’ latest numbers.

In response, Intermountain has been working to build a coalition of advocacy groups to prevent suicide by firearms, including partnering with the Utah Shooting Sports Council, among others, to implement interventions to curb suicide rates.

Because of this work, in 2021 alone, more than 8,700 free gun locks were distributed in Utah. Additionally, Intermountain has trained more than 33,000 providers and caregivers on suicide prevention tactics.

Intermountain was also able to provide more than 47,000 behavioral health visits last year for underinsured or uninsured community members, with each patient’s first five visits offered free of charge to patients in its Behavioral Health Network.

“Preventing suicide is complex, and I’m grateful to our team and community partners for working to destigmatize mental health, promote healthy behaviors, and ensure access to help for any and all who need it,” said Moore.

In addition to these community health needs, Intermountain has contributed to more than 200 local organizations to support their community-focused work.

Intermountain provided about $189 million in charity care assistance to patients and families unable to pay for their care, and provided more than 19,000 free care vouchers to low-income families for imaging, mammograms, preventative screenings, and other health services at Intermountain facilities.

For more information on all of Intermountain’s initiatives to improve community health see the Intermountain Community Health Impact Report.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division 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://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.