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Johnson County Public Health outlines priorities and digital mental‑health tool in Healthy JoCo update
Summary
Public health staff told the Board of Supervisors the Healthy JoCo community health improvement plan centers on health care access, mental health, housing and food security and highlighted local uptake of a digital mental‑health platform, Credible Mind.
Johnson County Public Health staff updated the Board of Supervisors on Healthy JoCo, the county’s community health improvement initiative, reporting recent assessments, partner engagement and priorities.
Jamie Gaines, social determinants and health coordinator for Johnson County Public Health, told supervisors the program completed a community health assessment in late 2023 and used partner input plus a community survey to identify four health priorities: health care access and affordability, mental health, housing and food security. "We have a framework we follow ... to achieve health equity," Gaines said, naming the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAP) framework as the basis for the work.
The update framed Healthy JoCo’s role as a data hub and capacity builder for community partners. Gaines said the team has provided data and presentations to more than 45 community partner agencies and held about a dozen public meetings in the past year. Healthy JoCo publishes its assessment and improvement plan online; Gaines said the community health improvement plan was released in March 2025 and the full community health assessment is available on healthyjoco.com.
A major focus in the presentation was mental‑health access. Gaines described an online platform, Credible Mind, that Johnson County licenses to connect residents to vetted resources, assessments and educational content. "Since October of 2024, we've had about 2,500 site users," Gaines said, noting account data show heavier use by younger and female users. Credible Mind offers assessments that direct users to evidence‑based resources and is available in English and Spanish with additional languages at extra cost.
On housing and food security, Gaines said public health is strengthening partnerships rather than building new direct services, working with local organizations to treat housing as a health issue and exploring ways to increase nutritious donations to food pantries through partnerships with local growers and Table to Table. She said the team has done on‑site summer food‑security assessments at pantry sites to track usage.
Supervisors praised the report and asked about outreach to schools and other partners. One supervisor thanked the Healthy JoCo team for promoting Credible Mind, noting long pediatric mental‑health waits and the importance of directing youth to credible resources.
Gaines listed ways for community members to stay informed: the Healthy JoCo Substack newsletter (healthyjoco.substack.com), the Healthy JoCo website and the program’s Instagram account.
The Board did not take formal action on the Healthy JoCo update; staff presented the report for information.
