Healthy Teton report: housing and healthcare are the health crisis

Healthy Teton County (Teton County Health Department and St. John’s Health) released a 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment that says the biggest “health” issues here aren’t just in the clinic—they’re in rent and in who can actually get an appointment. In the 2023 community survey (1,777 responses, in English and Spanish), both U.S.-born and non-U.S.-born respondents ranked access to healthcare, affordable housing, and “good jobs and a healthy economy” as the top three factors for a healthy community. See: Community Health Needs Assessment packet.

On housing, the report cites the 2022 Teton Region Housing Needs Assessment: nearly half of renters (46%) are cost-burdened (paying more than 30% of income for housing), and 14% of renters are “severely” burdened (over 50%). It also notes that the median single-family home sale price exceeds 200% of AMI—meaning even households earning above $200,000 can struggle to buy.

On healthcare access, the report points to long waits for preferred providers, gaps like limited OB/GYN availability, and insurance barriers that hit working families hardest. It estimates 15% of children in Teton County lack health insurance (higher than Wyoming’s 12%), and says access to behavioral health care is constrained by coverage and provider acceptance—only 30% of behavioral health providers accept Medicare and 45% accept Medicaid.

Here’s the practical question for every town and county decision that follows: will it lower the rent burden and shorten the wait for care, especially for the people keeping the tourism economy running? If the answer is no, this “health” plan stays a report on a shelf instead of a plan people can feel.