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Navajo County recognizes medical-legal death investigators, names employee of the year and launches 2026 community health needs survey
Summary
The board adopted a proclamation recognizing National Medico-Legal Death Investigation Professionals Week, honored public-health staff including Employee of the Year Rhonda Krausz, and heard plans for a county Community Health Needs Assessment survey to run Feb. 2–Apr. 30, 2026.
The Navajo County Board of Supervisors approved a proclamation recognizing National Medico-Legal Death Investigation Professionals Week and recognized medical-examiner staff, while public-health officials outlined the county’s 2026 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) survey.
Rhonda Krausz, representing Navajo County Public Health Services, said the medical-examiner program handled 273 cases in 2025, including 9 homicides, 21 suicides, 11 overdoses, 5 first-responder deaths and 28 motor-vehicle accidents, and introduced the investigator team. The board adopted the proclamation by voice vote and thanked the team for work that supports families, public health and the justice system.
Public Health Deputy Director Sierra Hensley described the CHNA survey, which will be open Feb. 2–Apr. 30 and is available online and on paper for county residents 18 and older. Hensley said the survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and covers physical and mental health, social determinants, access and cost of care, substance use and other topics. The CHNA follows the MAP-IT/"Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships" framework and is conducted every three years to inform the county’s community health improvement plan and fulfill nonprofit hospitals’ IRS CHNA requirements.
Janelle Lynn and others recognized Rhonda Krausz as the Public Health Employee of the Year for 2025, citing improvements to environmental health, medical-examiner operations and animal care and control, and presenting her with a certificate and a gift basket.
Hensley asked supervisors to help spread the survey through their networks and described outreach plans including social media, a photo contest and a community champion challenge to encourage municipal participation. Staff said they will travel the county to assist with paper surveys and partner with hospitals and community organizations to increase response rates.
