Friday, May 1, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Southern Nevada residents face three pressing health challenges, according to Intermountain Health’s latest Community Health Needs Assessment for Clark County: access to care, particularly behavioral health services; basic needs security such as stable housing and food; and childhood injury and illness.
The report, released Thursday, identifies the region’s most urgent healthcare gaps and outlines actions to improve community health outcomes.
“In Nevada, the data consistently points to behavioral health as a shared challenge across communities,” Will Rucker, director of community health in Nevada at Intermountain Health, said in a statement. “We’re working to address this challenge through a more upstream approach by strengthening the conditions that shape well-being before a crisis occurs. That means building trust, increasing access through community-based collaborations and increasing the capacity of community members, such as educators and other trusted adults, to recognize the signs and connect people to the right support at the right time.”
Expanding behavioral health resources and strengthening suicide prevention efforts are vital, according to the report, including increasing access to safe firearm storage through gun locks and family education.
There is also a strong focus on early childhood health. Screenings at well-child checks, immunizations and safe sleep education help families protect their infants and prevent possible tragedies. This work also includes preventing abuse and neglect among children.
“We have been engaging with several groups and community organizations, such as RTC, Safe Kids of Clark County and the YMCA, among others, to increase access to safety devices such as bike helmets and life vests,” Rucker said. “We all have similar goals, which are to protect and support our kids and families.”
The release noted that Intermountain was working toward the Nevada Children’s Hospital, slated to be completed by 2030 at UNLV’s Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.
The report’s methodology includes working with local partners to identify the greatest needs in the surrounding area.
“These assessments are a data-driven process to help us prioritize health needs and then take action,” Lisa Nichols, vice president of community health at Intermountain Health, said in a statement. “By combining data with personal insight, we can focus our efforts where Intermountain Health can make the biggest impact on community health, we call these significant health needs.”
The full report is available on the Intermountain Health CHNA webpage.