INDIANAPOLIS — What are the top health concerns facing Marion County residents? A new study from the public health department revealed more about how people feel in their communities.
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At the Jewel Event Center on Wednesday, leaders reflected on what they've heard from residents all across the county.
“You can see how these problems can compound each other and really make an impact," Dr. Virginia A. Caine, the Director and Chief Medical Officer at the Marion County Public Health Department, said.
The focus was on health needs and concerns, as reported in the 2025 Community Health Assessment.
"We’re trying to elicit from the community, you know, what do you think are those issues that we are facing in your area. Also, what kind of resources do you think we need to do in order to address these issues?" Dr. Caine explained.
More than 4,500 residents and 200 community partners and leaders completed the survey. The report ranked the top five issues facing Marion County residents, as reported by those residents and community partners alike.
The top five included:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Access to Health Care
- Housing
- Trauma and Injury Prevention
- Infant mortality
“When you don’t know whether you’re going to be evicted from your apartment or you lose your home or your utilities are going to be so high you can’t afford it… that impacts access to health care," Dr. Caine emphasized.
“I think what it really tells us is that there's unequal benefit to improvements and investment dollars across the county," Elizabeth Bowman, Administrator of Epidemiology at the Marion County Public Health Department, stated. "And there’s more we need to do collectively as a system to benefit all of our neighbors and residents.”
The next steps, they said, are all about action.
“We want to work with community members to try and make change," Bowman explained. "So we need to know how we can best support them as we work to move into our community health improvement planning process.”
“We can’t be maternalistic and telling them what they need. We need to ask them what do you need, what kind of resources, and what would make you more susceptible to improving the quality of your life with better health outcomes," Dr. Caine said.
The public health department said they plan to hold more listening sessions like this one in the future. They encourage all residents to come out and voice their concerns.
The full 2025 Community Health Assessment for Marion County is available online at this link.
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Casey Zanowic is the In Your Community reporter for North Side Indy. She joined WRTV in July of 2025. Casey has a passion for storytelling and is ready to showcase impactful stories that make a difference in her community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Casey by emailing her at casey.zanowic@wrtv.com.
