A new Community Health Assessment from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department offers a wide-ranging look at what supports health in Pierce County and what stands in the way.
Residents identified social connection, trusted organizations, cultural resources, and access to nature among the community's strengths. They also described challenges involving housing, transportation, economic stability, chronic disease, behavioral health access, youth mental health, and substance abuse.
These findings closely align with the priorities guiding the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties. The 2025 Annual Impact Report focuses on reducing loneliness and chronic disease, strengthening belonging, expanding access to childcare, connecting teens with positive role models, and giving young people opportunities for active, scree-free time.
The Y served 130,00 people in 2025. While that number shows the scale of the work, stories from the Impact Report show what these community-health priorities can mean in an individual's life.
A Place Where They Know Your Name
The impact report shares Nancy's experience returning to the Lakewood Family YMCA after a car crash, a three-month hospitalization, and cancer. After spending a year largely confined to a bed, she needed to rebuild her strength and her community.
Nancy began with Enhance®Fitness and chair yoga. Before long, she was visiting the Y four or five days a week and walking again without the assistance of a walker.
"Here, people remember my name," she shared. "They cheer me on."
Nancy's experience brings the health department's findings about social connection and trusted organizations to life. A class can support mobility and strength while also creating a routine, a circle of encouragement, and a reason to keep showing up.
In 2025, the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties served more than 25,000 older adults. Each person arrives with a different goal, but Nancy's story shows how physical health and belonging can grow together.
Support That Makes Progress Possible
The annual report also introduces Annee, who entered the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program and Enhance®Fitness with health challenges affecting their mobility and independence. They relied on a scooter or wheelchair and could not walk more than half a block.
Through physical activity, nutrition education, and support from a small group, Annee lost more than 11% of their body weight and regained enough mobility to prepare meals at home.
"There are no quick fixes to health," Annee shared. "What has worked for me is small groups, physical activity, and nutritional information."
Annee also received financial assistance, which helped them continue participating. Across the association, 15,600 people received YMCA financial assistance in 2025, with $3.6 million provided for memberships and programs. That support helps reduce cost as a barrier to the relationships, resources, and healthy routines described in both reports.
Connection to Nature Across Generations
The Wuscher family's story connects the Y's youth priorities with another strength identified by Pierce County residences: access to nature.
Their relationship with Camp Seymour spans three generations. Irene first attended in the 1950s after selling soap door to door to help pay for camp. Her son Mark followed in the 1980s. Years later, he chose Camp Seymour for his own children, Owen and Bernice.
For Mark, continuing the tradition was a way to give his children space to experience life beyond their screens. "Technology has taken over their lives," he shared. "I wanted them in the Camp Seymour culture to just disconnect and really understand what Mother Nature has to offer."
Owen and Bernice both found opportunities to grow at camp. Bernice became stronger and more confident as she tackled new activities and formed friendships, while Owen developed greater independence and discovered new ways to have fun away from his phone.
Their experiences show how time in nature can give young people opportunities to be active, build confidence, and form meaningful relationships.
Similar Needs Across the Region
Pierce County's assessment provides the newest local perspective. A 2023 assessment from Kitsap Public Health District identified concerns involving mental health, chronic disease, health behaviors and access to care. Kitsap community partners later selected healthcare access, housing and homelessness, and mental and behavioral health as shared priorities through 2028.
Together, these assessments reinforce the need for trusted organizations working in partnership across the region.
Building a Health Future for All
The county findings help explain why the priorities in the Y's annual impact report matter. Community health grows through access to resources and through everyday experiences: a class that helps someone regain strength, a group that makes change feel possible, an outdoor experience that gives a young person room to grow, or a familiar place where someone notices when you are gone.
The YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties takes local health seriously. We will continue listening to our communities, working alongside local partners, and expanding opportunities to thrive for years to come. The 2025 Annual Impact Report captures the progress made possible by our members, staff, volunteers, donors and partners, alongside our shared commitment to building a healthy future for all.