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Health in Lake Sarah Township · CDC PLACES 2025

Where Lake Sarah Township residents get care

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

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP codes 56132, 56172. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Lake Sarah Township

Lake Sarah Township is short on every kind of care federal data tracks

Lake Sarah 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 ↓

Heart disease, COPD and arthritis run high in Lake Sarah Township

1 in 13 adults have heart disease (8%), vs 5.9% across Minnesota. 1 in 14 adults have COPD (7.2%), vs 5.4% across Minnesota. Arthritis is also above the state: 29.2%, vs 22.3% across Minnesota. In all, Lake Sarah Township runs above Minnesota on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 36% of residents are 65 or older (Minnesota 17%), and heart disease, COPD and arthritis are more common later in life. Conditions ↓

More high blood pressure in Lake Sarah Township, and more people treating it

37.4% of adults have high blood pressure (Minnesota 31%), but 81.1% of them take medicine for it, vs 76.1% statewide. Checkups ↓

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 Lake Sarah Township’s likely range; Lake Sarah Township’s figures come from ZIP codes 56132, 56172, which may reach past town lines.

★ What stands out · Getting care

Care in and near Lake Sarah Township

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

HNearest ERSanford Tracy Medical CenterTracy · 10 miDirections →
+Low-cost careRural Health CareFulda · 20.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
10 mi
Sanford Tracy Medical Center
Tracy · not rated
ERRural critical access
10.6 mi
Murray County Memorial Hospital
Slayton · not rated
ERRural critical access
17.8 mi
Sanford Westbrook Medical Center
Westbrook · not rated
ERRural critical access
20 mi
Avera Tyler Hospital
Tyler · not rated
ERRural critical access
20.7 mi
Rural Health Care
5 sites · nearest in Fulda
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
63 mi
Falls Community Health
Sioux Falls · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Lake Sarah Township itself
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Lake Sarah Township itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Lake Sarah 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 Lake Sarah 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 Lake Sarah Township adults…

Lake Sarah Township runs above MN on 8 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

8 of every 100 Lake Sarah Township adults have heart disease
Minnesota: 6 in 100 · worse · likely 7.1–8.8%
Better than MNWorseAbout the sameMinnesota
Why age matters here

Lake Sarah Township is an older town: 36% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across Minnesota. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Lake Sarah Township as about how healthy they are.

Residents 65 and older

Lake Sarah Township36%
Minnesota17%
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

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

78%Yearly checkupMN 75%
69%Dentist visitMN 68%
88%Cholesterol checkMN 85%
71%Colon screeningMN 69%
81%MammogramMN 79%
81%Taking BP medsMN 76%
1 in 15
working-age adults has no health insurance
Lake Sarah Township 6.6% · Minnesota 1 in 13 (7.5%)
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Minnesota

Share of adults, with the Minnesota figure marked.

Get no exercise 25.1%MN 22.3%
Sleep under 7 hours 29.3%MN 29.2%
Binge drink 16.9%MN 17.8%
Smoke cigarettes 15.4%MN 13.1%
0%10%20%30%40%
Lake Sarah Township, betterLake Sarah Township, worseAbout the sameMinnesota
Mind & connection

How Lake Sarah Township adults are doing

About the same as Minnesota on each measure.

3 in 10Lake Sarah Township adults feel lonely
28.4% · MN 31.2% · About the same as MN
1 in 5Lake Sarah Township adults lack social or emotional support
20.6% · MN 21.5% · About the same as MN
1 in 4Lake Sarah Township adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.1% · MN 24.4% · About the same as MN
1 in 7Lake Sarah Township adults are in frequent mental distress
14.2% · MN 15.1% · About the same as MN
The one neighbors can help with

3 in 10 Lake Sarah 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 10
Lake Sarah Township adults worry about having enough food
10% · MN 11.4%
About the same as MN
1 in 13
Lake Sarah Township adults worry about keeping their housing
7.8% · MN 9.3%
Better than MN
1 in 19
Lake Sarah Township adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
5.2% · MN 5.7%
About the same as MN
1 in 16
Lake Sarah Township adults lack reliable transportation
6.2% · MN 7.1%
About the same as MN

7.3% of Lake Sarah Township adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 7.9% across Minnesota.

Around town

Lake Sarah Township and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Mason Township: 36.5%Shetek Township: 37.5%Custer Township: 38.6%Skandia Township: 38%The Lakes: 36.5%Slayton Township: 36.5%Murray Township: 36%Lowville Township: 37.6%Holly Township: 35.2%Monroe Township: 38.1%Rock Lake Township: 38%Sodus Township: 37.9%Ellsborough Township: 38.4%Lake Sarah Township: 38.2%Lake Sarah TownshipMason TownshipShetek TownshipCuster TownshipSkandia TownshipThe LakesSanford Tracy Medical Center · Tracy · 10 miHMurray County Memorial Hospital · Slayton · 10.6 miH
Healthier than MNNear MNLess healthyHHospital+Health center
Obesity
#12 of 14 towns on this map, healthiest first
Mason Township36.5%
The Lakes36.5%
Shetek Township37.5%
Skandia Township38%
Lake Sarah Township38.2%
Custer Township38.6%
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
Mason Township————
Shetek Township————
Custer Township————
Skandia Township————
The Lakes————

Mason Township, Shetek Township, Custer Township, Skandia Township and The Lakes: 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.

29.9%

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

Walking or climbing stairs14.4%
Thinking or memory12.4%
Hearing8.7%
Errands alone7.4%
Vision4.4%
Dressing or bathing3.8%
Minnesota

Questions about health in Lake Sarah Township

Why doesn’t Lake Sarah 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 Lake Sarah Township.

What hospital is closest to Lake Sarah Township?

Sanford Tracy Medical Center in Tracy, 10.0 miles in a straight line from Lake Sarah Township’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room. It has no Medicare star rating.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Lake Sarah 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.