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New Canaan commission reviews community well‑being survey, recommends focus groups and a communications push
Summary
Commissioners and town health staff reviewed results of a 1,500‑respondent community well‑being survey, flagged gaps in youth and senior outreach and recommended focus groups, a one‑page resource guide and amplified communications through existing town channels.
New Canaan commissioners and town health staff spent the meeting reviewing results from a recent community well‑being survey and agreed to pursue targeted follow‑up work, including focus groups for young people and seniors and a coordinated communications effort to make mental‑health and social‑service resources easier to find.
Commissioner Jen Latic said she was “pleasantly surprised to see 66 percent and 71 percent” of respondents report no barriers to mental and physical health services overall, but added that “one out of three parents do not know where to get help for their kids’ mental health.” Latic urged the commission to focus on information sharing rather than service creation: making clear where families should go for help.
The commission discussed several specific gaps the survey exposed. Russ Kimes pointed to responses about youth access to prescription drugs and symptoms of poor mental health: “Prescription drugs not prescribed to them — 44 percent said somewhat easy for their kids to get and 20 percent very easy,” and “feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge several days is 43 percent,” he said. Kimes also noted that 23 percent reported feeling down or hopeless several days.
Commissioner Tom Ferguson, who described the sample as about 1,500 mostly female respondents with underrepresentation of people under 30, and other commissioners urged a youth survey or school‑based data collection so teens can answer confidentially. Multiple commissioners and staff also flagged senior men as an undercounted group and proposed a re‑tabulation or targeted outreach to see whether the survey missed people who are vulnerable and isolated.
Staff and commissioners outlined practical steps they could take without creating new services. Marcy Rand, director of Human Services, said the town’s donation and outreach channels are growing — including a recently established fund that can cover up to $1,000 in car repairs for clients — and suggested the commission could amplify existing resources rather than build a new system. Commissioners proposed producing a single‑page “who to call” guide, leaning on the Behavioral Health Alliance, Laurel House and 211 as entry points, and distributing it through Everbridge, the local paper and high‑traffic public locations.
Participants also discussed next steps to translate the survey into strategy. Several speakers recommended running targeted focus groups for youths and seniors, pressing the New Canaan Community Foundation to run a follow‑up youth survey, and using commission authority to present specific, data‑driven recommendations to the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance. Commissioners noted a $4,700 balance from an earlier senior telehealth program that could fund a focused senior study.
Commissioners emphasized preserving the positives the survey showed while addressing gaps. “There are a lot of positives in this survey,” said Jen Ielson, Director of Health, noting high emergency/crisis awareness: only about 11 percent reported not knowing who to reach in a crisis. But the group concurred that awareness alone does not equal access for people who are isolated or conflicted about seeking help.
The commission agreed to continue the discussion at its next meeting, develop a one‑page resource summary and advocate for targeted follow‑up surveys and focus groups. Staff and commissioners said they will work with the Community Foundation and the Behavioral Health Alliance to refine next steps and report back with concrete proposals.
