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Montezuma County review finds mental health, substance use and alcohol‑related deaths among top concerns
Summary
The county’s 2025 community health assessment highlights mental health as the top community concern, a suicide rate of 39 per 100,000, elevated alcohol‑related liver disease deaths, and housing and food costs as major needs; the department will use the findings to develop a five‑year public health improvement plan.
Montezuma County public health staff presented the county’s 2025 community health assessment (CHA) to the Board of Health on April 8, summarizing survey results and secondary data and outlining next steps to develop a public health improvement plan.
Katie Maxwell, public health planner, said mental health ranked first among 13 surveyed issues. Maxwell reported that “the suicide rate currently is 39 suicide deaths per every 100,000 people in Montezuma County,” nearly double the state rate she cited as 22 per 100,000. Maxwell said the county’s years‑of‑life‑lost analysis shows unintentional injuries, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and suicide are the largest contributors to premature mortality.
The C…
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