How Pierce County spends health dollars over the next five years will be shaped by a new assessment that names housing instability and structural racism as the county's top health threats.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) released its 2025 Community Health Assessment on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The report is the first since 2019 and draws on interviews with more than 200 residents and input from more than 100 people at 83 local organizations.
Its findings will form the foundation of the 2025–2030 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), the five-year blueprint that determines which health priorities receive funding and programming across the county.
What residents identified
Community members named seven top concerns: housing, transportation, economic stability, healthcare and behavioral health access, digital access, environmental conditions and structural racism.
They also identified four strengths: strong social connections, cultural and community resources, access to nature and trusted organizations.
What the data shows
The assessment pairs those community voices with population health data. Among the findings:
- Pierce County's life expectancy is lower than the state average, with higher years of potential life lost from preventable deaths.
- Chronic diseases including obesity and asthma are linked to poverty, food insecurity and limited opportunities for physical activity.
- Chlamydia and gonorrhea rates remain higher than the statewide average despite recent declines.
- Adult depression requires more services and community support. Youth substance use and mental health remain pressing concerns.
- Tobacco use continues to affect healthy births and chronic disease rates.
- Many families face barriers to adequate prenatal care.
The report found that homelessness and housing instability create cascading barriers to health, according to TPCHD. Discrimination in healthcare, housing and food access compounds existing inequities. Health outcomes differ by race, ethnicity, income, geography, sex and disability status.
Familiar problems
Five of the seven 2025 concerns appeared in the 2019 assessment's top issues. That earlier report listed access to mental health and substance abuse services, premature death, access to healthy food, affordable housing and transportation as its priorities. It guided the now-expired 2020–2024 CHIP.
What happens next
TPCHD said the CHIP process will bring community members and partner organizations together to set shared priorities and develop action strategies. The department plans to launch new webpages and data dashboards but has not announced specific dates.
No timeline for public CHIP meetings or a comment period has been released. Dusty Lane, a TPCHD digital media specialist who authored the department's announcement, wrote that the department will share more about the findings in the months ahead. Residents with questions can email TPCHD at [email protected].
