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Wit.. <br />Health <br />• The overall health of County residents is above that of Florida <br />residents in general. <br />• The ratios of pediatricians and primary care providers to <br />residents and mental health care providers to residents is less <br />favorable than state and national averages. The relative un- <br />availability of mental health care providers is especially prob- <br />lematic with regard to specific groups, including children. <br />• Almost half of all residents lack dental insurance.. <br />• Specific demographic groups are more likely to lack health <br />insurance and have more limited access to health care, for <br />example, young adults and others in low -paid, low benefit <br />jobs. <br />• Alcohol use and smoking by adults, and vaping by young <br />people, are high and increasing. These and other unhealthy <br />activities are associated with increases in mortality rates due <br />to lung cancer and liver disease. However, cancer and heart <br />disease continue to be the leading causes of death. <br />• For many diseases, rates are substantially worse for certain <br />racial, ethnic, and economic income groups. For example, <br />black residents have higher death rates from cancer, heart <br />disease, stroke, and bacterial sexually transmitted disease. <br />Hispanics have a higher rate of HIV/AIDS. <br />• Inability to obtain insurance, limited transportation options, <br />poor access to and limited understanding of good nutrition, <br />are among the factors driving discrepancies in health out- <br />comes by demographic and socio-economic groups: <br />Housing <br />• Housing is a major cost component of total household ex- <br />pense, and it is rising faster than wages. <br />• One-third of the County's households, over 20,000, pay <br />more than 30 percent of total income on housing. Another <br />2 percent are homeless or on waiting lists for government <br />supported housing. <br />• Insecure housing circumstances have a major negative effect <br />on residents' well-being and accomplishment, for example, <br />when forced mobility— being forced to move— causes <br />school reassignments or child homelessness. <br />Seniors <br />• Almost one-third of the County's residents are seniors. Se- <br />niors are also the fastest growing age segment. <br />• About 25 percent of seniors live alone, with women making <br />up three-fourths of those living alone. <br />• Due to the percentage living alone, and the growth rate, spe- <br />cial attention should be paid to elderly living arrangements, <br />such as extended care facilities or innovative ways to live <br />alone within a social group. <br />• Although Seniors are more likely to have health insurance <br />and be healthier than some other demographic groups, they <br />are inclined to an increase of risky behaviors—smoking and <br />alcohol use. <br />k-5 <br />