Time is running out to participate in the 2025 Bridge to Health Survey, which is nearing completion. Residents who received a survey in the mail are urged to fill it out as soon as possible to ensure their voices are included.
The survey, first sent in September as a postcard with a QR code linking to the online version, was followed in October by printed copies mailed to households that had not yet responded.
Conducted every five years since 1995, the Bridge to Health Survey aims to answer a key question: How healthy is the Northland? It covers a wide range of topics including physical and mental health, nutrition, exercise, tobacco and alcohol use, dental care, insurance coverage, and social connection.
More than 40 organizations across nine northern Minnesota counties — and Douglas County, Wisconsin — are collaborating on the effort. The survey is coordinated by Generations Health Care Initiatives and sponsored by local hospitals, clinics, community health centers, public health agencies, nonprofit organizations, foundations, health plans, and educational institutions. The Minnesota Department of Health’s Statewide Health Improvement Program is also a sponsor.
“We are excited by the response we have seen so far and simply want to remind others who may still have the survey sitting on a countertop or in a pile of papers — please spend the couple minutes it takes to complete the survey, either online or on paper,” said Jessie Peterson, survey co-chair and executive director of Generations Health Care Initiatives. “Your individual survey responses are kept confidential, but the aggregate data will help health organizations across our region to better serve your community.”
This year’s survey is being conducted by the University of Wisconsin–Superior’s Center for Research and Evaluation Services. Randomly selected households in Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St. Louis counties in Minnesota, along with Douglas County in Wisconsin, received surveys. Results will be released in spring 2026.
More information, including reports from past surveys, is available at BridgeToHealthSurvey.org