So I may have just let my hand show. I often find myself more attracted to how the marginalized and ignored communities operate and function, and the trials they face in meeting common, daily needs. But often, the dirt we dig is not always filled with the gold we want.
With that being said, how about some government facts. I've been on a bit of a statistics binge lately, and came across the Georgia Health Disparities report, produced by the Georgia Health Equity Initiative. I recommend you read it. It can be found here: http://dch.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,31446711_40829902,00.html
One of the more interesting statistics calculated for each county is the "Years Per Life Lost" statistic, which tells how many gross years of life are lost by people who die before they hit the average life expectancy. If Average Life expectancy is 72, and someone dies at 62, then that is measured as 10 years of life lost for that individual.
The report goes into this a little bit, but when people die early, that has an affect on the rest of the community. Their wisdom, the years of grandparenting, and their place within the social fabric of a community disappears. When an entire community or ethnic group within a community has a very high YPLL, we can think of that as a huge loss of collective wisdom and guidance within that group, as well as a marker for widespread risks to that localized group.
Oconee County has 5 years of life lost, compared to the many thousands of YPLL for other counties, showing that people in Oconee County tend to live a pretty long time.
Below is Oconee County's report card from the Georgia Health Disparities report. In my opinion, it reinforces that Oconee county is a very affluent area, with a large white population. Racial disparity among Georgia's health services seems to be an almost foregone conclusion, but it is really about money. In the report card, you see several D's and an F in access to mental health services. The report shows disparities in care, and these low grades reflect the fact that Oconee County offers very few "safety net" services for poorer individuals.
Evan Mills, of the Clark County Government Homelessness Task Force, said that many people living in poverty in Oconee County come to Clark County to get services, but in his estimation, that it is a very small population doing so. As in all things, money equals access, and if you live in Oconee County, on the whole you probably can afford access to better care. Which doesn't mean that your health care doesn't come with its own set of issues, but affording care is the first river to cross when looking for good care.
I love your quote "the dirt we dig is not always filled with the gold we want." As newbie journalists, I think that's one of the biggest issues we are confronted with, trying to beat the dead horse. But I kind of feel like at some point you are going to stumble onto something . . . huge!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. Any time I sit down to write a story, I want to feel like I'm really doing something that will change lives. I want to give voice to the disenfranchised, bring attention to the plight of the poor or discuss how citizens can help those who suffer. So writing about a county that is full of people who are fairly well-off and, to add insult to injury, healthy as horses is just plain insulting. On the other hand, news is news. If people in Oconee are living well, there must be a reason. As you point out, their wealth is probably part of that reason.
ReplyDeleteSee Shannon Brownlee's book book "Overtreated" for a revealing look at how excess care, consumed by affluent folks, adversely affects them as individuals and society as a whole. As Mark Ebell noted, variations in practice are huge and more intervention does not necessarily result in a healthier or longer life.
ReplyDeleteAnd what would a systems approach reveal about Oconee's place in the region?
It might be interesting to look at how St. Marys has expanded out towards Oconee. They recently built a huge fitness facility out that way.
ReplyDeleteThe county is also pouring money into building a new senior center. Last time I checked they were getting ready to break ground on it.