A new report released by Kansas City’s REACH Healthcare Foundation gives Allen County some talking points — good and bad. IF TAKEN TO heart, the data can be instructive. SOME OF THE data are disturbing. We have a higher than national average of traffic fatalities, adults who are obese, births to teen mothers and inadequate prenatal care. Higher seatbelt use, smarter eating habits and better practice at safe sex would go a long ways to curbing those statistics.
The health profile shows we continue to lose population and we are an increasingly graying populace. The only segment of our population that has increased in the last decade is those between the ages of 45 and 64.
We’re also on the poorer end of the national income spectrum. More than one-third of our population lives below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The median income per household is $40,275 compared to the national level of $50,502. Another 15 percent, or 2,000 individuals, are living below the federal poverty guidelines, which means an individual is living on $11,490 or less.
So right off the bat, we know poverty is the root of a lot of the other indicators that say Allen County is hurting, including a whopping 12.5 percent of residents lack health insurance.
And while our unemployment rates are less than the national average, 5.8 percent compared to 7.8 percent, we must have a higher than average number of low-paying jobs for the math to balance out.
Yes, we have a high number of baby boomers. That’s not exactly bad, thank you very much. But it does say health care services should be developed to focus on those with circulatory and respiratory diseases. Heart disease is the cause of more than 30 percent of all area deaths.
The use of statins, drugs that lower blood cholesterol levels, go a long ways in helping prevent heart disease. So for those 12 percent who say they can’t afford to see a doctor, ways need to be found to get them reduced-cost health care.
With a preponderance of middle-aged citizens comes a wealth of experience in which to tap for volunteer services. A recent trip to Allen County’s senior center showed it was busy as a beehive with people helping sort clothes, balance accounts and wait on customers. It’s a happy place.
The same can be said for congregations wise enough to recognize the strengths of their elderly. No, they may not be swelling the ranks of the nursery, but these people have the time, energy and experience to take a church in a new direction.
One of the hardest things for the elderly is when they lose a spouse and become isolated. Loneliness is a killer.
The idea to make the soon-to-be vacant hospital into a retirement home should take root. It’s centrally located, bomb-shelter safe, and has amenities such as en suite bathrooms and a cafeteria. Knock out a few walls, lay some carpet, and it’s a perfect setting for those wanting to live in an affordable community.
Hopefully, some investors will feel the same way.
A sign of progress is when a community looks at sobering news as an opportunity for change. We’ve got the numbers, now let’s turn them to our advantage.
— Susan Lynn
