The North Jersey Health Collaborative thanks all of our partners for your work in improving the health of our communities! Read about it here!
The Morris County Committee is a partnership of organizations working together across sectors to create healthy communities. For more information, contact Committee Chair, Sarah Rubinstein MPH.
The next Morris County Committee meeting will be in Feb. 2024. Check out the event calendar for information on upcoming meetings.
See how Morris County stacks up compared to the NJ Healthy People 2020 goals
Get all the facts and explore the indicators on the Community Dashboard
Our 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment Process
Building on our first shared community health needs assessments (CHNAs) from 2016 and 2019, the 2021 assessment focuses on both individual health related issues and outcomes along with the larger social determinants of health. Overall, Morris County has significant strengths and assets and was ranked number one in the state for overall health outcomes according to the 2018 County Health Rankings. You can read more about Morris County’s assets throughout the CHNA. However, despite the county’s overall good health and wealth, there are significant disparities from one community, or zip code, to another. It is our hope that the information and data sources within the CHNA will help NJHC partners and other community stakeholders dig deeper into these issues in order to develop effective strategies and solutions for improved health and well-being.
Morris County 2021 CHNA Priority Areas
In 2017, the majority (93%) of adults (19-64 years-old) in Morris County had some type of health insurance; however, coverage was significantly lower for residents 25-34 years-old (88%), for Hispanic/Latino residents (78%), and for residents of other races (66%).
The homeownership rate is 71%, a significant decline from years prior. 17% of households in Morris County have severe housing problems, meaning they have at least one of the following four problems: overcrowding, high housing costs, lack of kitchen facilities, and/or lack of plumbing.
The age-adjusted death rate due to heart disease is 143 deaths per 100,000 population in Morris County. Compared to New Jersey and to the US, Morris County has more Medicare enrollees who have been treated for atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm), hyperlipidemia (high amount of fat in the blood), hypertension (high blood pressure), and ischemic heart disease (narrowing of arteries of the heart).
In Morris County, there are more seniors at least 65 years-old who have cancer, atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and osteoporosis than in New Jersey and/or in the entire US. Furthermore, 29% of seniors are living with a disability and 13% have difficulty living independently.
Maternal and Child Health
In Morris County, the infant mortality rate is 3 deaths per 1,000 live births and 7% of babies born in Morris County have low birthweight. Although 84% of women in Morris County are receiving prenatal care within the first trimester of their pregnancies, this proportion is decreasing with time and significantly fewer women 18-29 years old, as well as Black and Hispanic/Latino women, are getting early prenatal care. Furthermore, there are 1% of mothers in Morris County who did not receive any prenatal care during their pregnancies.
In Morris County, adults have an average of three poor mental health days each month and 10% of adults have more than 14 poor mental health days each month (i.e., they experience frequent mental distress). According to 2016-2017 emergency department utilization data, Morris County patients with diagnosed mental illnesses seeking care at emergency departments for any reason most often had anxiety disorders (52%) and mood disorders (51%).
Physical Activity & Healthy Eating
In the Community Voice Survey 94% of Morris County respondents felt people can get exercise safely for free in their neighborhoods. In Morris County, 6.1% of residents experienced food insecurity; this is lower than the statewide average of 10% and nationwide average of 13%. Among children under 18 years-old in the county, 9% experienced food insecurity. Alarmingly, 48% of food insecure children are not receiving nutrition assistance.