Greene Health Facts – Did You Know…
- Over $190 Million was expended on health care for our residents in 2010 and this amount increases by over 6% each year.
- We have about 10,500 emergency medical calls each year.
- Fifteen years ago Greene County had less than half of the primary care doctors it needed.
- 30% of us suffer from one or more chronic diseases and 75% of all health care dollars are expended on chronic diseases
- Nearly 600,00 prescriptions are filled in Greene County every year.
- The #1 cause of death in Greene County and its costliest health problem is Cardiovascular Disease, such as heart attacks and stroke.
- The leading cause of adult disability is strokes and ¼ of strokes happen to people under age 65.
- The number of people with diabetes — 4,000 – nearly doubled in the last 15 years and 30% of people do NOT know they have it.
- About 60% of us are obese or overweight and about 23% of adults smoke.
- About 10% of people have a mental illness. But, many people have undiagnosed mental health problems and other people with a diagnosed problem cannot or do not access counseling services. Undiagnosed and untreated mental health problems then become critical conditions ultimately requiring far more interventions that are costly in terms of money and human suffering.
- 2,000 people abuse alcohol or take illegal drugs, and this number does not include the people abusing prescription drugs. Many people do not seek counseling and other recovery services.
- Prescription drugs are abused more than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Taking prescription drugs that are not prescribed to a person – or taking them in any way other than directed by a doctor — is considered abuse and can be as dangerous as taking an illegal drug such as cocaine or heroin.
- 33% of kids have untreated dental cavities; 70% of adults have lost teeth due to cavities or gum disease
- Nearly 65% of our age 50+ population complied within the recommended timeframe for obtaining 5 key health exams. These compliance rates are better than the Statewide and US levels for most of the tests for which there are comparable data. For some tests, however, our compliance rates are lower.
- The number of people who are uninsured is about 8%, an improvement compared to about 15% in 2000. People without coverage or inadequate coverage often do not go to the doctor or delay getting needed care. Therefore, a medical condition that could have been treated early at relatively low cost ultimately becomes more expensive to treat or correct, especially with children. As they go without needed care they also suffer physically and emotionally.
- Greene County has high-quality health care providers who offer a wide-range of services.
To address some of these key health care problems in Greene County, the Greene County RHN has expended over $4.1 million for projects that have brought more than 25 important health care services and programs to our community since our inception in 1996. View some of Our Accomplishments.
