Fishers Public Health Director Monica Heltz says the newly released Fishers Community Health Assessment shows a city changing faster than many residents may realize — and that the changes are reshaping how her department spends its time and money.

The report is labeled 2025, the year most of the data was gathered, but was released this year. In a podcast conversation, Heltz said the biggest surprise was the breadth of demographic change.

“Our older adults are our most rapidly growing demographic,” she said, adding that the city has also grown more diverse by race, age and income, particularly among younger residents.

The assessment draws on roughly 1,500 survey responses, a series of focus groups and publicly available data sets. Heltz said the toughest part was drilling county-level data down to the city level to separate Fishers from Hamilton County as a whole. The department also reviewed a de-identified IU Health data set and found the public data held up well.

Three priorities emerged: mental health, aging well and healthy living.

On mental health, Heltz said residents repeatedly told the department they did not know where to begin looking for help. In response, the city has added a mental health support specialist who helps residents navigate services. The service takes no insurance and is open to anyone by appointment. The department already employs a licensed clinical social worker working alongside police and fire, along with two community health advocates.

The survey included a screening, in which roughly 3 in 10 adults screened positive for possible depressive symptoms. Heltz stressed that is a screening tool, not a diagnosis, and said depression and anxiety are both common and treatable.

Falls drive much of the city’s EMS volume, Heltz said, and the department’s fall prevention program offers in-home safety assessments and Stepping On classes. Social isolation surfaced as a concern for older adults, young adults and caregivers alike — a challenge Heltz tied partly to a fast-growing city where “almost nobody is from here.”

Other findings drew Heltz’s attention: about 96% of respondents reported health coverage, but roughly 12% said they delayed care, mostly over cost or appointment availability. Using the ALICE measure, 23% of households in the two ZIP codes studied are in poverty or earning too little to comfortably cover basic needs. Black mothers in Fishers were 2.3 times more likely than white mothers to deliver a low birth weight baby, mirroring a long-standing statewide disparity.

Heltz also discussed the swings in state public health funding, which was rolled back 73% after the Health First Indiana increase, and the loss of several federal grants.

Two more documents are coming: the Community Health Improvement Plan, due soon, and a three-year strategic plan expected by the end of the year.

Listen to the full conversation with Monica Heltz here. This episode is sponsored by Citizens State Bank.

Listen using this link or the link below.