Health in southern kentucky
INCREASE ACCESS TO quality, affordable health and crisis intervention services.
Priority Focus Area: Access to Affordable Health Care – Individuals have access to affordable, preventative, physical, mental, dental and other needed care critical to good health.
STRATEGIES:
1. Increase the capacity of the qualified healthcare workforce to address new threats and adapt to changes in the health care market to meet the needs of the underserved population.
3. Support community programs or organizations that work to prevent, identify, and respond to current, new and emerging threats of environmental public health.
4. Increase availability of needed health services and the number of eligible individuals that are enrolled in viable health care coverage options.
2. Increase Health programs and support mechanisms designed to promote long-term health literacy through education, while empowering and supporting individuals to change or improve their health conditions.
Priority Focus Area: Safe Home and Community – People are safe from violence, crime, emotional and physical abuse.
STRATEGIES:
1. Provide education programs to reduce the incidence and impact of family and individual violence including violence prevention, parenting education, and public awareness.
2.. Support and advocate for all victims of crime through the provision of services and resources.
3. Reduce the impact of violence on individuals and families through safe and accessible emergency and/or temporary shelter and crisis services.
Two themes emerged from listening to residents in Southern Kentucky including the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare along with the desire to live in a safe environment:
SURVEY RESULTS:
#2: People are safe from violence and crime.
#3: People have affordable healthcare.
#8: People are safe from emotional and physical abuse.
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS:
“Healthcare is very limited here and emergency care is non-existent.”
“Mental health is one of our biggest challenges.”
“Kids don’t think prescription drugs are a big deal, [if] it comes out of a brown bottle, it’s ok.”
“There are so many hidden dangers. When my kids were kids, [I] didn’t worry about them playing in the backyard or at the park… now you can’t do that.”
SECONDARY RESEARCH:
- The BRADD region represents only 6.6% of all residents in Kentucky, yet accounted for 9.5% of all Kentucky drug related arrests in 2013. – Kentucky Annual Report, Kentucky State Police
- In Metcalfe County, there is one primary care physician for every 10,073 persons; in Butler County, there is one dentist for the entire population; in Allen County, there is one mental health provider available for every 6,737 persons. – 2014 County Health Rankings and Roadmap
WHY IT MATTERS:
Lack of health coverage poses serious problems for individuals and families experiencing acute or chronic illness as people are more inclined to go without preventative care and to let minor problems develop into serious medical conditions. In addition, the consequences of untreated mental health issues, reliance on Emergency Room treatment as primary care, and the impact of domestic violence and abuse have an overwhelming ripple effect creating issues in Education, Income, and Safety Net.
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