As Mental Health Awareness Month Begins, Local Survey Highlights Growing Concerns

As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, findings from the latest Greater Evansville Health survey are drawing renewed attention to the growing emotional and mental health concerns facing residents.

The data suggests that some of the region’s most serious health challenges are shaped not only by medical care, but by everyday realities: where people live, how much money they make, whether they have transportation, access to healthy food and the ongoing stress tied to economic instability.

Community leaders say the findings remain especially relevant as families continue navigating financial pressure, lingering post-pandemic stress and growing concerns about emotional well-being.

The survey points to signs of progress, including more residents receiving preventive care and increased physical activity. It also reinforces a harder truth: low-income families remain among the most vulnerable to poor health outcomes, and Black residents continue to face disparities in key areas such as diabetes and maternal-child health.

While physical health trends show modest improvement in some areas, mental health challenges appear to be increasing. To better understand what’s driving these outcomes, Our Times spoke with Andrea Hayes, Chief Officer of Impact at the Welborn Baptist Foundation, for a closer look behind the data and the factors that are often overlooked.

“We’re really trying to understand what contributes to a ‘good’ or ‘poor’ mental health day,” Hayes said, when asked about growing concerns around mental health. “There’s a missing human element for a lot of people.” That “human element,” she explained, speaks to connection, stability and the broader conditions that influence daily life — factors that cannot be addressed through clinical care alone.

The Greater Evansville Health Survey was first conducted in 2008 as a phone survey led by the Welborn Baptist Foundation and its partners to assess the health of residents in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Gibson and Henderson counties. More than a collection of data, the survey serves as a tool for action — helping local leaders and community members better understand what it will take to build a healthier, more connected community.

Over time, the survey has evolved. Initially conducted by phone in 2008 and 2015, it transitioned to a mail-based format in 2021, with the most recent 2025 survey — published this year — mirroring that approach to allow for direct comparison. With a broader understanding of health and well-being, the updated format places more emphasis on social determinants of health, environmental factors and mental health.

“We want this data to be used,” Hayes said. “It provides direction for us as a community.”

That direction points clearly to a central issue: poverty and access.  “If I had to give you one answer, I would say the low-income population is the most vulnerable group,” Hayes said. “If you can’t eat healthy, if you’re under constant stress, if it’s difficult just to get to work — all of that impacts your health.”

The data shows that while some health indicators have improved, many of the region’s most persistent challenges remain unchanged. Chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease continue to affect residents at similar rates, indicating what Hayes described as a deeper issue. “We have a long way to go in addressing the drivers of health that contribute to chronic conditions,” she said.

Those drivers — often referred to as social determinants of health — include access to transportation, affordable housing, healthy food and the ability to navigate the healthcare system. For many residents, those barriers remain significant. “Do people feel like they can take the next step?” Hayes said. “Do they have the tools to do it?”

For Black residents in the region, the data reflects ongoing disparities that mirror national trends. Diabetes continues to disproportionately affect Black communities, and infant mortality among Black and brown populations remains an area of close attention.

“Black residents are disproportionately affected by diabetes,” Hayes said, noting that many community investments are being directed toward under-resourced neighborhoods-areas that are often majority-Black and have historically faced systemic barriers.

“Those inequities are not accidental. Your ZIP code defines your life expectancy, but it also defines your health expectancy,” Hayes said.

The survey is now being used as a benchmark to guide community planning and investment through 2030, informing decisions by the Welborn Baptist Foundation, healthcare systems and local partners working to improve outcomes across the region.

The foundation itself, created from the sale of Welborn Baptist Hospital, has focused much of its work on improving community health and quality of life through investments in early education, healthy communities, faith-based initiatives and efforts that address the broader conditions affecting well-being across Southwest Indiana.

For Hayes, the data ultimately reinforces a message that goes beyond numbers and charts. “Health isn’t just about health care,” she said. “It’s about everything surrounding a person’s life.”