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Washington Health presents CHNA; Fremont shows strong outcomes but gaps remain in diabetes and dementia
Summary
Washington Township Healthcare District presented its 2025 community health needs assessment and a 2026–28 improvement plan to the Fremont City Council, highlighting strong overall health indicators for Fremont but calling out rising diabetes rates and racial disparities in Alzheimer’s mortality. Council members pressed for more demographic detail and pledged follow-ups.
Washington Township Healthcare District representatives on April 21 presented the district’s 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and the proposed 2026–28 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) to the Fremont City Council.
The district — which covers Fremont, Newark and Union City and represents about 340,642 residents, with Fremont accounting for roughly 228,000 — reported that most health indicators in Fremont compare favorably to county averages but that several priorities require action. Angus Cochran, speaking for the district leadership, said the CHNA reviewed more than 300 indicators and incorporated input from about 200 community participants through focus groups and interviews.
“While Fremont’s residents enjoy strong health outcomes relative to the county, we see pockets of disparities that require targeted work,” Cochran said. “The CHIP turns data into action by focusing on access to care, healthy lifestyles, cancer, cognitive decline and unintended injuries.”
Kayla Gupta, who led the CHNA work, told council members the CHIP’s top focus areas for 2026–28 are (1) health care access and delivery, (2) healthy lifestyles (including diabetes and obesity), (3) cancer and (4) unintended injuries. Gupta said the district found that although about 90% of residents are insured, roughly one in four report difficulty accessing care — a shortfall the district attributes to provider shortages and language barriers.
Gupta also highlighted disparities: diabetes prevalence in the Tri‑City area has increased year over year and has nearly doubled in Fremont over the 2011–2022 window analyzed, and Alzheimer’s‑related mortality was substantially higher among Black residents in Fremont. The presenters recommended culturally tailored outreach, stronger partnerships with senior centers and expanded community education to address those gaps.
Council members asked for more detailed breakdowns of the CHNA sample and for demographic data showing who participated in focus groups. Gupta said the CHNA addendum includes demographic tables and that the district will provide supplemental data on request. Cochran acknowledged the CHNA uses county and city measures rather than only hospital patient data and said the district partnered with the county, community groups and a consultant (Actionable Insights) to recruit varied participants.
Council members also questioned the district about language access and tools for multilingual care. Gupta said Washington Health employs bilingual staff when possible, contracts for translation services, and uses tablet‑based interpretation in clinical settings; staff said the district is not currently using AI for live translation.
The presentation included several outreach and program examples — a new urgent care and a recently opened geriatric care center, partnerships with UCSF on cancer services, community education events (about 160 events in two fiscal years) and a Road to Wellness fair planned for August. Gupta invited council members to a survivor celebration event May 21 at the Anderson Auditorium.
No formal council action was taken; staff and district representatives agreed to follow up with requested demographic tables and to return with supplemental information as needed.
