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The Holbrook City Council met on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and listened to a presentation by Navajo County Health Director Jeff Lee regarding the 2018 Navajo County Community Healthcare Assessment.
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The assessment began in January of this year with 52 different organizations in the county taking part in organizing and planning the assessment.
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Lee started by noting that Navajo County ranks number one in the state for air quality. A survey sent out and responded to by 1,000 residents say that the hiking trails, city parks and small town communities feel are what they value and that they have the knowledge of how to be healthy but may not be using that knowledge to do so to maintain their health.
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There were five major findings of the assessment. The first showed that substance abuse is very high in the county with approximately 70 alcohol related deaths compared to approximately 18 deaths statewide per 100,000 deaths. Drug related deaths account for nearly 23 deaths in the county, while statewide it was nearly 20.
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“Our alcohol deaths are four times the rate of the State of Arizona,” stated Lee. He explained that a community coalition has been formed with strategies that they intend to implement over the next three to five years with a focus on the teen and youth population. The outreach includes schools, caregivers, physicians and through social media.
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The second finding showed that 30 percent of the county’s population is living at or below poverty, or one in three residences. That includes 39 percent of the children in the county and 15 percent of the seniors. Twenty-five percent of the residents have no transportation, 24 percent have no jobs and 22 percent are in need of child or elderly care.
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Lee stated that the coalition addressing that portion of the assessment has created a solution. “A one stop shop for resources. You go to a service center and in this center you have DES (Department of Economic Security) services, WIC (Women Infant and Children) services. You have job aides, resume writing skill classes. Bringing it into one location so that when that person leaves they have the tools necessary to hopefully be more successful in the future,” stated Lee.
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The third finding was regarding the county’s mental health. Lee noted that the suicide rate is twice that of the state, with over 9,000 emergency room visits to Summit Medical Center and Little Colorado Medical Center related to mental disorders, with a shortage of caregivers in this field.
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“The most compelling thing on our resident survey is that they say they want these services, they need these services. So people are seeking them, they just can’t get to them,” stated Lee. He said that grants are being sought to add caregivers and has concerns that existing plans in schools and those available to employers are not being utilized.
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The fourth finding was chronic disease. “Our residents say that they know how to live healthy and be healthy but heart disease is the leading cause of death in Navajo County,” stated Lee. That cause of death is closely followed by cancer. He also noted that persons with diabetes in Navajo County are double the statewide and national rates.
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Lee said that in this area the coalition is reaching out to employers and engaging them by encouraging wellness programs. They are also assisting residents in getting a primary health care provider. “A lot of our residents use the emergency room as their primary care provider. They don’t really get the education and counseling that they should receive,” stated Lee, adding that this coalition is being led by Summit Health Care.
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The fifth finding showed that the county is dealing with a health epidemic related to sexually transmitted diseases. “Our STD rates are astronomical in Navajo County. We have the second highest rates per capita in the State of Arizona,” noted Lee. He informed the council that the syphilis rates for this year and last year have gone up 800 percent.
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The plan to battle this epidemic is to empower youth to protect their health with comprehensive sex education and provide information on what the health department can provide by way of testing, investing in high quality youth-friendly health services and combating the stigma as a barrier to care. This issue is the top priority for the health department.
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Lee explained that this is going to be a community-driven endeavor to improve the health of the residents with oversight from the health department. He said that most of these groups are focused in Show Low but the need is countywide and encouraged the council to take part in these groups and to encourage expansion of these coalitions to this region.
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Following the presentation, Mayor Phil Cobb read the Healthy Holbrook Month proclamation encouraging residents to address their health and wellbeing. As part of Healthy Holbrook Month, the city is offering free use of the city gym for the month of January. Contact the City of Holbrook for more information.
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