The full results of the 2024 Community Health Assessment are out.
For the most part, the 139-page report shows Summit County outperforms the rest of Utah across all health outcomes.
That includes vaccination rates; scientists say vaccines tend to reduce the spread and severity of disease.
But statewide, the survey says the number of people who say they received a flu shot in the previous year is declining: about 30% of people in 2020 down to 20% in 2024.
The decline is also apparent in Summit County, where almost 39% of children received a flu shot in 2020, down to 27% in 2023. In adults 19 or older, the decline was from about 33% to 22%.
On the flip side, more than 95% of Summit County residents said they had received childhood vaccinations, such as the measles, polio or chickenpox shots.
Of the half of residents who expressed vaccine concerns, 57% say they’re worried about diseases spreading if others aren’t vaccinated.
Close to 10% said they were concerned about vaccine-related misinformation. Twenty-one percent say they question vaccine safety.
Utah requires a baseline slate of vaccines for schoolchildren. In Summit County, the exemption rate for kindergarteners is about 1-in-10. The rate ranges from 5% to 15% at individual schools, which the survey says puts Summit County “in the middle of the pack” among schools statewide.
Vaccination was one of eight health outcomes the survey measured. Others included mental health, senior health and disease rates.
The survey identified disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic residents, with the former experiencing higher rates of cancer and diabetes but less access to care.
Click here for more information about the survey.
Click here to read the full survey.
The Summit County Department of Health will use the survey for the next five years of policymaking and budgeting. The policymaking will take the form of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
Budgeting is expected to be more complicated this year as federal grant money is cut.
Health Director Phil Bondurant is scheduled to discuss department cuts with the Summit County Council June 4.
He and other staff have been bracing for the loss of programming or staff since the Trump administration announced a 40% cut to the National Institutes of Health earlier this year.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
