The 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment for McLennan County was released today and shows 6 areas of concern and provides a general overview of the county’s health. According to the 2016 assessment, mental health services are the leading health priority for the county, followed by chronic illness, obesity, access to care, prenatal care and tobacco use.
City Councilman John Kinnaird is a chairman with the Waco –McLennan County Public Health District.
“The results are intended to stimulate discussion as well as lead to the planning and implementation of projects to address the health needs identified through three main themes: access and affordability to care, wellness and prevention and health concerns and risks," Kinnaird told an audience at the
In the 2013 assessment, mental health didn’t register as a top priority, but now ranks as the leading health concern for the area. That could be due to the design of the 2016 survey, which asked more questions on mental health than in previous years, says Kahler Stone.
Stone is a senior epidemiologist at the Waco McLennan County Health District.
“We knew it was a problem but we didn’t know to what magnitude it was a problem," Stone said. "So with this assessment we’re able to really, kind of, look at that, and what we found was it is. It’s a problem; it’s a problem all over the county, it’s a problem across all racial and ethnic groups. I mean it’s an issue!”
Similar to years past, obesity remains a top concern with nearly 29 percent of the county considered to be obese. Furthermore, women’s health remains a persistent issue. The assessment found that access to women’s healthcare has been a historical challenge due to limited resources in the community. Stone says there are a considerable number of women who don’t have access to well-women exams, an annual preventive screening of breast and gynecological diseases.
While access to healthcare has gotten better, Stone says it’s still a persistent problem.
“Even with the affordable care act there’s still a significant number of folks in our community that don’t have health insurance still. Or if they do they’re still having significant difficulties in getting to a health care provider," Stone said.
The 2016 assessment found that “the population purchasing insurance through the health insurance exchange marketplace is expected to increase 44 percent by 2020.” But, this will have little effect since the total number of those receiving employer-sponsored coverage is expected to decrease by a similar number.
By the end of the summer the health district plans to have a comparative analysis between the 2013 and 2016 assessments