MUSKEGON, Mich. — Access Health Muskegon has launched the 2025 Community Life Survey, now available online for all county residents aged 18 and older. The initiative aims to gather insights on local challenges related to health, income, and everyday obstacles that affect quality of life. n nSamantha Cornell, COO of Access Health Muskegon, emphasized the importance of community input in shaping effective support systems. “To truly address an issue, we must first understand it deeply,” she said. “We’ve incorporated feedback from residents across the county to identify their top concerns, which helped shape the focus of this survey.” n nThe survey is a key component of Muskegon SHIP (Social and Health Innovation Partnership), a collaborative effort designed to remove barriers to employment and well-being. It explores issues such as transportation access, childcare availability, and financial stability. Cornell cited one example: “It’s difficult to get your children to daycare without reliable transportation, so we’ve spent considerable time analyzing these interconnected challenges.” n nCurrently, 876 individuals have participated, with a target of 1,750 responses. The anonymous questionnaire takes about six minutes to complete. The planning process spanned two years, during which preliminary findings already prompted the formation of action teams addressing urgent community needs. n nThe initiative is guided by the Muskegon Health and Economic Think Tank, supported by community-driven Livability Lab teams. These groups participate in an annual program encouraging residents to advocate for lasting improvements. n n“We should never design solutions without being closely aligned with the lived experiences and voices of the people we serve,” Cornell stated. n nThe survey window opened at the end of August and will remain active through September 26. Participation in the Think Tank or Livability Lab teams remains open year-round. n— news from FOX 17 West Michigan News
— News Original —
Muskegon County launches Community Life Survey to address health and economic barriers
MUSKEGON, Mich. — The 2025 Community Life Survey, launched by Access Health in Muskegon, was recently released online, open to all Muskegon County residents over the age of 18. n nAccess Health Muskegon ‘s COO, Samantha Cornell, says the survey aims to connect with residents to better align resources to support them. n n“We understand that to solve a problem, you really have to deeply understand it,” Cornell said. “We took a lot of the resident feedback, folks across the county, to understand where their priorities are, and that helped guide us to understand where we should be looking within this survey.” n nWATCH: Muskegon County launches Community Life Survey to address health and economic barriers
Muskegon County launches Community Life Survey to address health and economic barriers
The survey is part of Muskegon SHIP (Social and Health Innovation Partnership), a community collaboration to address barriers to both work and wellness within the county. n nCornell says the survey is specifically centered around health, income, and navigating common community barriers. n nCornell explains, for example, “It ‘s tough to get your kids to childcare if you don ‘t have a car to get them there, so we spent a lot of time looking at the information and then looking at what those relationships are that we needed to better understand.” n nIn order to meet the needs of residents, Access Health is looking for more activity on the survey to help gather the necessary data-driven solutions for challenges in jobs, health, and economic opportunity throughout Muskegon County. n n“When I left to come here, 876 people had taken the survey,” Cornell said Sunday. “Our goal is 1750.” n nCornell explains the survey is anonymous, and takes about six minutes to complete. n nHowever, the survey took about two years to prepare. n n“Already, through some of the learnings that happened within the planning for the survey, and looking at existing data, there ‘s action teams out there working on addressing some really critical barriers,” Cornell said. n nThe heart behind the survey is Muskegon ‘s Health and Economic Think Tank, informed by community-based Livability Lab teams, which Cornell describes as an annual ‘take action ‘ program for Muskegon residents to advocate for ongoing change. n n“We should never, as an organization, or alongside partners, build solutions that are not deeply connected to the expertise and the voice of the community,” Cornell said. n nThe survey opened at the end of August and runs through September 26th. n nCornell says the door to joining either Muskegon ‘s Health and Economic Think Tank or a Livability Lab team is always open. n nFor more details on how to get involved, click here.