INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The community has a chance to determine which new priorities and programs are needed in Jackson County.

The Jackson County Health Department is asking thousands of people living in the Eastern part of the county to take a community health survey. It includes questions about mental health, health care access, housing and safety.

The health department mailed 22,000 postcards out to addresses earlier this month. Each postcard includes a unique website code for the survey.

The health department says it will use the information to manage public funding and plan programming.

Anyone who wants to complete the survey, but didn’t get a postcard in the mail, can visit jacohd.org/survey.

The survey closes on April 10. Data collected from the survey will be reported in the Jackson County Community Health Assessment, which will be published in Summer 2023.

The community survey is mailed out every five years, so the last one was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic began.