University Of Iowa College Of Public Health

What does a local health department actually do and how do they decide what matters most in a community? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, we sit down with Jamie Gade, Social Determinants of Health Coordinator at Johnson County Public Health, to talk about Healthy JoCo, the county’s community health assessment and improvement initiative. Jamie walks us through how public health teams combine national data sources with local surveys, focus groups, and lived experiences to understand what is really happening in their community. From measuring loneliness to assessing food insecurity, this work highlights how much nuance can be missed in large-scale data and why local insight is essential. We also explore how public health departments partner with organizations across sectors, including food systems, transportation, and libraries, to address complex challenges that no single group can solve alone. The conversation highlights the importance of storytelling alongside data, especially when communica