Photo: courtesy of Summit County Health
The share of uninsured respondents doubled to 12%, even as residents reported more comfort talking about mental health and easier access to services.
SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A new Summit County behavioral health survey shows many residents continue to struggle with loneliness, substance use, and barriers to care, even as some measures appear to be moving in the right direction, officials said Wednesday.
Aaron Newman and Anna Frachou walked the Summit County Council through findings from the 2026 Community Engagement and Behavioral Health Survey, which pointed to persistent disparities across several groups, including women, young adults, lower-income residents, Hispanic residents, and LGBTQ+ adults.
Nineteen percent of respondents reported loneliness, and 61% said they had been affected by substance use. Loneliness was more prevalent among women, young adults, Hispanic residents, and LGBTQ+ adults, the presenters said.
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Newman and Frachou said the county should use the results to focus more sharply on closing access gaps, reducing stigma, and raising awareness of available services.
“There’s a high percentage saying cost was a barrier,” Newman told the council, adding that some services are available at very low or no cost and that the county needs to do more to make residents aware of them.
Council members said the data suggested both progress and continuing need.
Council member Megan McKenna said several indicators appeared to be improving, including awareness of resources, the ability to get services, comfort talking about mental health, and rates of excessive drinking.
“I think that shows the work that is being done and the progress we’re making, even if it is very incremental,” she said.
One figure that stood out, McKenna said, was the share of uninsured respondents, which rose from 6% to 12%.
Presenters said that the increase may reflect several factors, including self-pay residents in a relatively affluent community and growing challenges for older adults seeking behavioral health care through Medicare. Frachou said providers are becoming less likely to accept Medicare patients because Medicare reimbursement rates are lower than Medicaid rates, leaving more seniors to pay out of pocket.
The discussion also turned to how the county defines and tracks substance use. Council member Roger Armstrong asked why the survey focused primarily on alcohol and did not include marijuana use.
The survey is funded through the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and designed to track common indicators across participating communities, presenters said. Marijuana was left out in part because comparisons across states become more difficult where laws differ.
The survey is only one tool the county uses, they added. The Mental Wellness Alliance also examines law enforcement and justice system data, state health data, claims data, and provider surveys to identify gaps and shape future programming.
Armstrong said that a broader approach matters.
“I like the idea that you guys are using multiple sources of data,” he said.
The alliance has already begun identifying gaps in access and substance-use prevention and plans to use the survey data to refine specific initiatives in the coming month, presenters said.
The survey also pointed to broader pressures affecting residents’ mental well-being. Housing affordability and cost of living ranked among the top challenges, followed by family stress, presenters told the council. National political issues also registered as a source of strain for some respondents.
The survey, presenters said, offers both a measure of how far the county has come and a reminder of how much work remains.
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