URHCS study reveals serious challenges for Wichita County
Wichita County faces significant challenges to the health and well-being of its residents because of deficiencies in key areas compared to the rest of Texas, according to a study conducted for United Regional Health Care System.
As part of the Affordable Care Act, tax-exempt hospitals such as United Regional are required to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years.
The latest study, presented in October 2022, found that “When analyzing economic status, Wichita County is in more economic distress than other counties in the state.” The county’s “distress rating” was 83, which is extremely high.
The study also revealed that compared to the rest of the state the county has low household incomes, high rates of families and children living below the poverty level, high food insecurity rates, low access to food, too few grocery stores and low educational rates.
It concluded the county has higher mortality rates than Texas as a whole from heart disease, malignant neoplasms, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, accidents, diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, suicide, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung and bronchus cancer and colon and rectum cancer.
According to the study, Wichita County has higher rates than the state of chronic conditions such as diabetes for adults and Medicare beneficiaries, obesity, arthritis and high blood pressure for adults and Medicare beneficiaries.
Wichita County has higher percentages of residents participating in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as binge drinking and smoking.
The county also has higher prevalence rates of communicable diseases such as gonorrhea and higher teen birth rates than the state.
Wichita County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Data gathered in the study suggests that some residents face significant cost barriers when accessing the healthcare system.
People interviewed for the study expressed concerns that the federally qualified health center in Wichita Falls, the Community Health Care Center, was no longer taking new patients and the county has significant transportation barriers in getting to and from medical appointments and food pantries.
The study projected negative population growth in Wichita County through 2026 with the county losing about 767 residents by that time.
The trends identified in the 2022 study largely reflect those identified in the 2019 study. Exceptions include heart disease becoming the leading cause of death rather than cancer and an improvement in risky health behaviors from the 241st worst county to the 167th (of 244 counties). The number of deaths related to Alzheimer’s Disease was dramatically lower than the state figures in the latest study.
To address the problems, the study suggested the hospital concentrate on these areas:
- Continue Emphasis on Addressing Social Determinants of Health to Reduce Health Disparities
- Prevention, Education and Awareness of Services to Address High Mortality Rates, Chronic Diseases, Preventable Conditions and Unhealthy Lifestyles
- Access to Primary and Specialty Care Services and Providers
- Continued Focus on Emergency Preparedness & Response
- Access to Mental and Behavioral Health Care Services and Providers
The study was conducted for United Regional by Community Hospital Consulting, a Plano consulting company. The results are based on state and federal information sources as well as local interviews of people in health care or social service-related fields. Data reflect sources ranging from 2018 to 2022.