Sweetwater-Nolan County Health Department’s Health Disparities team will be conducting a study by local employees who are vested in our community. This study is to listen and document those who are most affected before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the receiving of medical resources, basic health care, and emergency health care services. The Health Disparities team will spend time in the community to build a rapport and develop relationships and to build a resource plan to help decrease the impact of any possible future pandemics/disasters.
What are Health Disparities?
The CDC defines Health Disparities as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged population” which include:
- Length of life
- Quality of life
- Rate of disease
- Disability
- Death
- Severity of disease
- Access to treatment
Health Equity is when everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
The US Census Bureau’s risk factors for determining Community Resilience Estimates show that 30% of our community members will not be able to withstand any impact of any present or future disaster or pandemic. These variations in individual and household characteristic risk factors include:
- Income to poverty ratio
- Single or zero caregiver household
- Crowding
- Communication barrier
- Households without full-time, year-round employment
- Disability
- No health insurance
- Age 65 and older
- No vehicle access
- No broadband internet access
The Sweetwater-Nolan County Health Department Health Disparities wants to hear from YOU!
We are offering confidential surveys to everyone so your voice, your concerns, your thoughts, your feelings, your fears, to better understand health disparities in the lives of our community. No personal information will be used in these surveys.
What does this mean for our community?
Building a stronger social network and trust for the common good in the community.
Increasing the opportunities for support and resources of any kind for any possible future pandemics or disasters, both community-wide, state/national-wide, and in personal lives. Develop, implement, and provide a consistent, relevant, and accessible resource directory that is easily accessible that will include, but is not limited to:
- Mental health services
- Medical services
- Transportation services
- Emergency services
- Faith-based services
- Help increase knowledge about the Adult Safety Net Vaccines to help vaccination rates among adults in our community (Includes: Flu, Pneumonia, Tetanus, COVID-19, other adulthood vaccines)
Just to name a few.
For more information on Health Disparities, please contact:
Jennifer Nichols Cunningham 325-235-5463 ext.1015 or Ethan Willson 325-235-5463 ext. 1014