McDowell children’s health improving, McDowell News

February 2014

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A new report shows McDowell County is making progress in improving the health of its children.

The child advocacy group N.C. Child released its latest report Wednesday about the state of children’s health in McDowell. For 19 years, the N.C. Child Health Report Card has monitored the health and safety of children and youth throughout state. “The report compiles more than 40 indicators of child health and safety into one easy-to-read document that helps policymakers, health professionals, the media, and concerned citizens track children’s health outcomes, identify emerging trends, and plan future investments,” reads a news release from N.C. Child.

The report card presents data for the most current year available, usually 2012, and a comparison year, or benchmark, usually 2007.

The report for McDowell shows there are more local children who are insured and a lower teen pregnancy rate amid continued economic hardship. Since 2007, McDowell County’s children have experienced improvement in key health indicators, including insurance coverage, dental care, teen pregnancy, child deaths and even high school graduation rates. These gains are at odds with what’s expected during economic downturns when health outcomes typically worsen, according to the latest data.

“Poverty causes increased financial and emotional strains on families that often result in poorer health outcomes for children,” said Laila A. Bell, director of research and data at N.C. Child. “These data show that public policy actions which promote evidence-based programs and support local communities can be powerful tools to safeguard our children’s health during tough economic times.”

Tim Blenco, chairman of the McDowell Health Coalition, said Wednesday he and other members have “focused on these topics for the past several years and it is very encouraging to start seeing positive outcomes associated with our efforts.”

“It is equally encouraging to see the array of individuals and organizations that have come together to collaborate and work strategically to address these issues,” Blenco added. “That level of shared commitment to improving the health of our community, combined with the opportunity to participate in the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust’s Healthy Places NC initiative has helped lead to these improvements.”

Here are the findings for N.C. Child’s 2013 Child Health County Data Card for McDowell County between 2007 and 2012:

* Medicaid enrollment increased by 32 percent and Health Choice enrollment increased by 26.6 percent, which is consistent with statewide data showing a 30 percent decline in uninsured children

* Medicaid-eligible children who received dental care increased by 43.5 percent for children ages 1 through 5 and 21.4 percent for children ages 6 through 14

* North Carolina’s teen pregnancy rate continued to improve, dropping 43 percent to 19.7 per 1,000 girls ages 15 through 17. The teen pregnancy rate was 19.2 per 1,000 girls in McDowell County

* Statewide, child fatalities continued to decline, falling 22 percent to 58.6 per 100,000 children under age 18. McDowell County had four child deaths in 2012

* The graduation rate improved by 14.8 percent.

“It’s no coincidence that McDowell County experienced a significant decline in its teen pregnancy rate and increase in its graduation rate over the past several years,” said Bell. “Both of these indicators have been targeted by well-funded state efforts. This improvement should give us hope that we can make progress on big problems when we’re willing to put resources behind data-driven solutions.”

While typically associated with academic achievement, the graduation rate is also a key health indicator. Education is associated with better earning potential and higher income which enables purchase of better housing in safer neighborhoods, healthier food, health insurance coverage and more timely medical care. Studies have linked high school dropout to higher rates of substance use, psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems, according to the news release.

However, N.C. Child’s findings for McDowell County were not all positive. Key economic indicators in McDowell County have worsened as a result of the recession and subsequent budget cuts. Specifically, the unemployment rate in McDowell County increased from 5.6 percent to 11.1 percent from 2007 to 2012, and the median household income declined 9.2 percent to $36,584. In 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, 32 percent of children in McDowell County were living in households that struggled to meet their basic nutritional needs, according to the report.

“Statewide, one in four children are growing up in poverty,” said Bell. “Food insecurity is a very serious byproduct of poverty that’s making its presence felt in McDowell County. No child should ever go to bed hungry, but unfortunately, that’s what’s happening to children across the county.”

With the elimination of the state Earned Income Tax Credit and significant cuts to unemployment benefits, there is concern that many families could find their economic situation worsening during a slow economic recovery. What’s clear is that the impacts of public policy decisions are playing out in communities across the state, according to the news release from N.C. Child.

“We know that parents and communities are working hard to grow healthy children, but they cannot do it alone.” said Bell. “Advocates, providers, community and business leaders, state and federal governments must collaborate to strengthen investments in prevention programs and promote focused public policies that promote child well-being.”

Blenco said the local Health Coalition realizes that McDowell still has major challenges in the area of child health.

“There is still work to be done, issues like the teen pregnancy rate can change quickly and we have just begun to look at the long-term outcomes associated with social determinants of health,” he said. “Childhood obesity remains a concern as does sustaining the steps we taken to improve access to healthy foods and active lifestyles. I encourage anyone interested in this work to reach out to Sheree Hughes or myself at 828-659-9622 to find ways to get involved and help us make more improvements in the future.”

To download a copy of the county data card, visit: http://www.ncchild.org/sites/default/files/McDowell.pdf

N.C. Child publishes more than 100 indicators of child well-being at the state and community-level online via the North Carolina state profile on the KIDS COUNT Data Center at datacenter.kidscount.org/nc.

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Mike Conley | Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2014 6:07 pm