BIG SKY—When a town like Big Sky has an influx of full time and part time residents, seasonal workers and visitors, the growing population’s health and community services must be supported, says Lisa Beczkiewicz, director of Women In Action, a nonprofit based in Big Sky.
Women In Action was founded in 2005 by a group of Big Sky women dedicated to enriching lives of children and families by providing access to affordable health, family and educational services.
This winter, the group implemented an opinion-based survey designed to gather data about the positive and negative health issues of the area and where WIA can expand and improve services.
“In the next month, I will be creating a detailed report to discuss what the results mean and how they will be used by Women In Action to explore possibilities for future efforts,” Beczkiewicz said.
Public health professional Erin Bills, MPH, coordinated the report, which was funded by public and private contributions. The following info graphic contains some of the survey results. Visit wiabigsky.org for complete survey results and a downloadable pdf. Contact Beczkiewicz for more information at info@wiabigsky.org. –Abbie Digel
Survey Demographics
The majority of survey participants were between the ages of 25-34 (24.6%) and 35-44 (24.2%)
95.9% of survey participants were Caucasian
The majority of survey participants have health insurance for themselves, their spouse, and their children
Survey Results
Top 3 Community Health Concerns:
Alcohol & substance abuse
Access to healthcare
Unemployment
What makes a Healthy Community?
Good jobs & a healthy economy
Access to healthcare
Affordable housing
Good schools
Parks & recreation
Top 5 Desired Community Health Services:
Women’s health services
Alcohol abuse preventive services & counseling
Dental care
Pediatric care
Community recreation center
Health Services
Health services in Big Sky are primarily used for emergency care.
The majority of survey respondents are happy with the accessibility of medical care in Big Sky, but were unaware of mental health services provided in the community. Affordable healthcare remains a major issue for the majority of survey respondents.
Of survey respondents, the majority receive routine medical and dental care in Bozeman or elsewhere.
Community Services
Public education for Big Sky youth is considered to be accessible and of good quality by the majority of survey participants.
Access to infant and toddler care is considered inadequate by the majority of survey participants who responded to the question. This subpopulation also reported that infant and toddler care was cost prohibitive.
Of those who responded, the majority did not know of recreational and skill building programs specific for youth and expressed that this was an area of need.
Big Sky is considered to be a safe place to live.
The majority of survey participants rely upon friends and neighbors in a crisis situation and are unaware of additional support systems.
