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Health in Elmo Township · CDC PLACES 2025

Where Elmo Township residents get care

CDC publishes only some of its health estimates for Elmo Township, not the seven a Health Grade needs; here is what we do have.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 56361, 56551. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Elmo Township

Elmo Township is short on every kind of care federal data tracks

Elmo Township’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care, dental care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓

COPD, heart disease and stroke run high in Elmo Township

1 in 13 adults have COPD (7.6%), vs 5.4% across Minnesota. 1 in 12 adults have heart disease (8.2%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. Stroke is also above the state: 4.1%, vs 3.1% across Minnesota. In all, Elmo Township runs above Minnesota on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓

More Elmo Township adults get no exercise

1 in 4 adults get no exercise outside work (26.5%), vs 22.3% across Minnesota. Habits ↓

Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Minnesota figure falls outside Elmo Township’s likely range; Elmo Township’s figures come from ZIP codes 56361, 56551, which may reach past town lines.

★ What stands out · Getting care

Care in and near Elmo Township

No hospital or community health center in Elmo Township itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERAstera HealthWadena · 17.1 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyAstera Health★★★★★ · 17.1 miDirections →
+Low-cost careCommunity Health ServiceWillmar · 78.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
17.1 mi
Astera Health
Wadena · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
25.5 mi
Alomere Health
Alexandria · ★★★★★
ER
26.9 mi
Perham Health
Perham · ★★★★★
ERRural critical access
29.5 mi
Lakewood Health System
Staples · not rated
ERRural critical access
78.7 mi
Community Health Service
3 sites · nearest in Willmar
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
80.5 mi
Family Healthcare Center
4 sites · nearest in Moorhead
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
! Primary careElmo Township is a federal shortage area.East Otter Tail · need score 9 of 25
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Elmo Township itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Elmo Township itself

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Elmo Township; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Elmo Township adults…

Elmo Township runs above MN on 7 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

8 of every 100 Elmo Township adults have COPD
Minnesota: 5 in 100 · worse · likely 6.6–8.7%
Better than MNWorseAbout the sameMinnesota
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota

Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.

Get no exercise 26.5%MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hours 30.1%MN 29.2%
Binge drink 16.7%MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettes 16.3%MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Elmo Township, betterElmo Township, worseAbout the sameMinnesota
Where Elmo Township gets moving

2.4 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves

Parks & trails →
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Elmo Township adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Minnesota.

76%Yearly checkupMN 75%
67%Dentist visitMN 68%
86%Cholesterol checkMN 85%
72%Colon screeningMN 69%
78%MammogramMN 79%
81%Taking BP medsMN 76%
1 in 14
working-age adults has no health insurance
Elmo Township 7.4% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Mind & connection

How Elmo Township adults are doing

About the same as Minnesota on each measure.

1 in 3Elmo Township adults feel lonely
30.9% · MN 31.2% · About the same as MN
1 in 5Elmo Township adults lack social or emotional support
20.8% · MN 21.5% · About the same as MN
1 in 4Elmo Township adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.9% · MN 24.4% · About the same as MN
1 in 6Elmo Township adults are in frequent mental distress
15.4% · MN 15.1% · About the same as MN
The one neighbors can help with

1 in 3 Elmo Township adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 9
Elmo Township adults worry about having enough food
11.1% · MN 11.4%
About the same as MN
1 in 12
Elmo Township adults worry about keeping their housing
8.5% · MN 9.3%
About the same as MN
1 in 18
Elmo Township adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.6% · MN 5.7%
About the same as MN
1 in 15
Elmo Township adults lack reliable transportation
6.8% · MN 7.1%
About the same as MN

8.3% of Elmo Township adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Around town

Elmo Township and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Folden Township: 34.7%Woodside Township: 36.4%Parkers Prairie Township: 35.1%Inman Township: 35%Nidaros Township: 34.5%Effington Township: 35.1%Vining: 34.9%Henning Township: 34.2%Bertha Township: 39.1%Eastern Township: 36.8%Oak Valley Township: 38.1%Miltona Township: 36%Deer Creek Township: 35.6%Elmo Township: 34.8%Elmo TownshipFolden TownshipWoodside TownshipParkers Prairie TownshipInman TownshipAstera Health · Wadena · 17.1 mi · 3★ MedicareH
Healthier than MNNear MNLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#4 of 14 towns on this map, healthiest first
Folden Township34.7%
Elmo Township34.8%
Inman Township35%
Parkers Prairie Township35.1%
Woodside Township36.4%
MN33.5%

Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from
Folden Township————
Woodside Township————
Parkers Prairie Township————
Inman Township————

Folden Township, Woodside Township, Parkers Prairie Township and Inman Township: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

31.6%

of Elmo Township adults live with a disability (Minnesota 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.9%
Thinking or memory13.4%
Hearing9.4%
Errands alone8.2%
Vision4.7%
Dressing or bathing3.9%
Minnesota

Questions about health in Elmo Township

Why doesn’t Elmo Township have a Health Grade?

Every Health Grade is built from seven of CDC’s PLACES estimates, and CDC doesn’t publish all seven for Elmo Township.

What hospital is closest to Elmo Township?

Astera Health in Wadena, 17.1 miles in a straight line from Elmo Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room. Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Elmo Township.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Minnesota figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.