Primary Data: Focus Groups
Fifteen focus group sessions were conducted between September 2 and September 16, 2025, engaging a total of 110 participants. Focus groups were facilitated in both English and Spanish and were intentionally held in community-based settings across diverse neighborhoods and ZIP codes to maximize accessibility and representation.
Focus groups provided rich qualitative data on lived experiences, barriers to care, community assets, and health priorities. Themes were identified through systematic thematic coding by the analysis team. Methodological considerations include potential self-selection bias and the over-representation of certain demographic groups( notably, the majority of participants were aged 55 – 74 and identified as White / Caucasian, with Hispanic / Latino representation at approximately 17 %).
Top Barriers Identified Through Focus Groups
Analysis of the focus group discussions revealed five key themes emerging as barriers to achieving and maintaining a healthy community:( 1) Health Information Access,( 2) Provider Shortage,( 3) Chronic Illness Management,( 4) Mental Health Services,( 5) Cost of Living. Community strengths( natural environment, social connection, Food Bank of Northern Nevada) also added.
Challenges Accessing Health Information
Lack of Healthcare Providers
Many community members reported feeling insufficiently empowered to make informed health decisions due to limited access to clear, reliable, and culturally relevant health education. This gap was especially evident in areas such as understanding healthy food choices, identifying root causes of illness, and managing chronic conditions. Health information was often difficult to locate, inconsistent across sources, or unavailable in languages commonly spoken in the community, including Spanish and various Asian languages.
A shortage of healthcare providers emerged as a dominant theme across nearly all focus group sessions. Residents reported that demand for care far exceeds provider availability. Participants described difficulty establishing care, noting that many providers are not accepting new patients and that wait times for appointments can be three months or more for both primary and specialty care, with similar delays for dental services. One participant described needing up to three months to find a primary care provider after switching insurance, followed by an additional three-month wait for a specialist appointment.
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