As the key source for freshwater resources, urban rivers are essential for human survival and urban socio-economic development. Recently, the functions of urban rivers have been damaged by increasing human activities. A better understanding of the health state of urban rivers is the basis of sustainable urban planning. To this purpose, this research took the Jinshui River as a research area. An indicator system for urban river health evaluation was first established using the driving force-pressure-stateimpact- response (DPSIR) framework. The health state of the Jinshui from 2008 to 2017 was then assessed based on the urban river health index, which was calculated by the improved fuzzy matterelement extension model. The results show that the overall health status of the Jinshui has improved, from its unhealthy state in 2008-2016 to a sub-healthy state in 2017. Corresponding response measures have achieved certain results, which have led to an improvement in the health state of the river. However, its health still faced many problems, including pressure from a rapid urbanization rate and population density, a large amount of sewage discharge, and serious water pollution. In general, the health of the Jinshui was still on the low side. Therefore, to ensure sustainable water environment in the region, it is necessary to further govern the water environment and improve the health status of urban rivers. This research can help government easily understand an urban river’s health state and formulate effective measures in the future.