Galveston County, Texas Essays - Health, Psychiatry, Greater Houston

Galveston County, Texas A. Identification of Community In accordance with the Census Bureau of 2010, Galveston County has a population of 291,309 people who live within the region making this area in the southern Gulf Coast region 17th in ranking according to population. Most residents are between the ages of 35 and 64 with Caucasians leading the pack at 58%, followed by Hispanics at 23%, with African Americans trailing at just 14%. Most of the community has a white-collar occupation with the median household income coming to approximately $58,000 per year. Although these numbers may look good, it is an unfortunate fact that 12.8% of the entire population lives below the poverty range with the smallest population of the county having the largest percentage below the poverty line at 28.5%. Of the county's entire community, nearly half of its residents qualify for public assistance (40%), however, according to records released by reviewing the SNAP/ Food Stamp Participation report, 10% of those who qualify accept help. The rate of unemployment is comparable to that of the state of Texas at 6.9% with just 0.7% difference, coming in less than the national rate. Most of the county's residence graduate from high school and continue on to obtain their Bachelor's degree, or even better, a graduate degree! This statistic is comparable to the stats of the rest of the state of Texas and the country. Two states prisons exist within the boundaries of the county which hold 820 co-ed prisoners with the incarceration rate within the local jails remaining slightly greater than that of the state's. Even if the people of Galveston County do not use them, recreation facilities are widely accessible for a healthier lifestyle as well as access to fresh, healthy foods. Just as most residents in the state of Texas, the drinking rate, physical inactivity, and the rate of adults who smoke are comparable. (QuickFacts, 2013) Health concerns relating to illness dealing with communicable diseases are greater than Texas's rate. Galveston County is in the bottom 25% of all the counties in Texas with the greatest concerns focused on serum lead levels amongst pediatrics, (8 out of 24 of all the zip codes), with great concerns over syphilis and varicella trailing. Out of all the Texas counties, Galveston County is ranked second in Mesothelioma contraction with cancer rates showing to be the worst out of all cancers. Because of this fact, this county shows to have a higher than most mortality rate with the rates of preterm births, lower than normal birth weights, and infant mortality reportedly higher than that in the whole of Texas and US. (healthypeople.org, 2013) Residents with insurance are greater than the rate of all Texas residents with health insurance, however, are no comparison when it comes to the national average of insured children 17 and under. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services of 2012, eight areas of the entire county qualify at MAUs, or "Medically Underserved Areas". Most of the concerns of not going to the doctor was not related to cost and was reported lower than the average for Texas with preventable stays as an inpatient was greater. Galveston County is a federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Area, or HPSA, which relates to primary care, and moderately for the dental aspect and mental health providers as well. (HRSA, 2013) Professionals for all branches of healthcare including primary care and specialists are lacking for the entire county, along with dentists to care for oral health as well. Relating to the mental health community, only 31 licensed psych beds exist for every 100,000 residents of the entire county, with only seven facilities available which help with substance abuse. (SAMHSA, 2013) The rate of re-admissions after 30 days for medical problems was comparable with the national average, however, any discharges relating to a surgical procedure or a diabetic patient was greater than average. The overall consensus within the county amongst residents is that good health comes from good health behaviors and abundant preventative health services and medications. According to WHO 2013, the definition of health is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Most of