10/06/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

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