As Polk officials gathered for the 2026 Polk Vision State of the County in April, Florida Department of Health-Polk County Health Officer Aaron Kissler offered a glimpse into plans to address the concerns identified in the county’s latest Community Health Assessment.
The CHA results highlighted shortcomings in access to healthcare, behavioral health, chronic disease, and injury prevention. To address those issues, Kissler outlined multiple goals for 2026-2030.
Access to Health Services
- Increase referrals to the Polk County Healthcare Plan.
- Increase the number of residents receiving community-based/mobile health services.
- Increase students assessed for dental sealant eligibility.
Behavioral Health
- Decrease stigma surrounding behavioral health.
- Increase Pre-K students screened for social/emotional concerns.
- Develop a youth-focused webpage.
Chronic Disease
- Increase disease prevention through health education.
- Increase referrals to Tobacco Free Florida.
- Reduce ER visits from hypertension and high-risk pre-term births.
- Distribute blood pressure monitors to high-risk clients.
- Increase breastfeeding among WIC clients.
Injury Prevention and Safety
- Reduce sleep-related infant deaths.
- Decrease near-drowning instances among children.
- Decrease fall-related deaths among older adults.
- Decrease vehicle crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.
- Reduce the number of human trafficking cases.
At the heart of it all, Kissler said, is building a system of care and making sure Polk residents don’t slip through the cracks. He praised hospitals, nonprofits, and community health centers already doing important work across the county. The next step is connecting those efforts.
“All these different groups can work together to provide a safety net of care and build a system where we don’t see people in the emergency room hopefully as much, where they are going to their doctor because they have a medical home,” Kissler said. “That is the goal, to give people a medical home.”
He added that with Polk continuing to rapidly grow, collaboration will be essential to meeting the community’s healthcare needs.
“There are so many new folks coming into the community and there are so many services that are needed that working together is the only way we’re going to be able to get it done.”