Marco Island Community Health Assessment

The Florida Department of Health in Collier County and Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) conducted a community health assessment on Marco Island to better understand the health needs, priorities, and challenges facing its residents. This process combined quantitative data collection with qualitative insights gathered through a community focus group, ensuring that both statistical trends and lived experiences were represented in the findings.

The community health assessment began with a public survey that covered topics such as demographic trends, chronic disease prevalence, access to care, and environmental factors. Marco Island residents identified access to care and the health of older adults as their top concerns, with survey data highlighting access to primary care, access to specialty care, and aging-related issues as the three most important health challenges in the community.

The focus group brought together a diverse group of community members, including retirees, working adults, and healthcare providers. Participants discussed their experiences with the healthcare system, access to preventive services, mental health resources, and transportation. A recurring topic was the challenge of accessing specialized healthcare services without traveling off the island. An idea that was discussed was to have more specialty care buses come out to the island for individuals to receive services. There were also discussions about the benefit of having more access to health education on a variety of topics on the island. Some of these topics included mental health, fall prevention, chronic disease prevention, and emergency preparedness.

Overall, the combined assessment and focus group highlighted several key priorities for Marco Island: expanding access to specialty care, expanding access to mental health services, improving transportation options, and increasing community engagement/outreach events to increase preventative health education access. These findings provide a valuable foundation for local health organizations and community leaders to develop targeted interventions that enhance the well-being of all residents.