Logan County Health Needs Assessed

[October 06, 2023] 

How healthy is Logan County? This was the question under discussion at Thursday's Community Health Collaborative (CHC) meeting at Lincoln Memorial Hospital. This meeting was the beginning of the CHC’s Needs Assessment which determines the county’s health needs and will direct attention and programming to those needs over the next three years. Community needs are determined using the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) with the goal of selecting the top 10 priorities in improving the health of the citizens of Logan County. The prioritization criteria used to determine the top needs are the magnitude, seriousness, feasibility, equity, and potential to collaborate for the needs under consideration. The good news is that Logan County moved from 82nd healthiest county out of 102 counties in Illinois in 2014 to 44th healthiest in 2023. The aspiration of the Community Health Collaborative is to make Logan County number one.

Members of the meeting represented local health organizations and public schools and reviewed five Social Determinants of Health looking at data and statistics compiled by Molly McCain, Community Health Coordinator at Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Each SDH included related categories with information about how Logan County is fairing within those categories. A poll and discussion followed each SDH to establish which seemed most important to address and whether any factors were missing.

The first SDH reviewed was Economic Stability. Statistics provided indicated that Logan County has a poverty level of 9.8% and a low-income rate (employed, but unable to move out of poverty) of 27.4%. The gender pay gap in Logan County shows that women earn $0.78 for every $1.00 men earn. Home ownership is at 65.4% for the county.

The second SDH was Education Access and Quality. Information from the State Youth Survey indicates that from 8th grade to 12th grade there is a drop in the number of students reporting that they feel safe at school. More positive data shows that Logan County has a higher high school graduation rate than the state of Illinois average of 87.3%. Lincoln Community High School’s graduation rate is 91.9%, Hartsburg-Emden’s is 88.2% and Mt. Pulaski’s is also 88.2%. However, community members with a Bachelor’s degree or higher is 21.2%, which is lower than the state and national average.

The third SDH addressed was Health Care Access and Quality. Notable data under this category included a variety of health concerns. In Logan County, adults who visited a dentist for any reason is at 62.5% and visits to the ER for uncontrolled diabetes are twice the national average. Logan County has an overweight and obesity rate of 72.8%. Logan County averages about two deaths from drug overdose per year with an upward trend. Drug overdoses not resulting in death are not reported, but CHC members are hopeful that the harm reduction vending machines offering Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, and xylazine testing strips, in places such as laundromats as well as the availability of these items at the Logan County Health Department have had a positive impact. Unfortunately, Logan County has 105.9 cases of lung and bronchus cancer, which is worse than the state and federal average and on a rising trend.

The fourth SDH was Neighborhood and Built Environment which includes things like access to healthy foods and air quality. Statistics in this category include adults who smoke cigarettes are 18% of the county population. Homelessness affects 32 families including 62 children. Homelessness in Logan County can include living in hotels, couch-surfing, or living temporarily with other family members. Broadband access extends to 83% of homes.

The final SDH examined was the Social and Community Context which includes things like civic participation and discrimination. Logan County has averaged few firearms deaths, but about 70 cases of violent crime. Between 2015 and 2022 there were 81 reported cases of child abuse. Voter turnout is 57.7% compared to a state average of 66.6% and a national average of 67.9%.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a poll of participants garnered the top ten priorities based on the information provided. Student mental health topped their list. CHC coordinators have plans to conduct as many focus groups in the community as possible to get the best and most representative information about priority needs in the Logan County community.

[Stephanie Hall]