Health challenges, progress highlighted in county health assessment
Comprehensive county health report published
– The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department and community partners this week released the 2023 San Luis Obispo County Community Health Assessment, an interactive report detailing key indicators of community health such as life expectancy, chronic and infectious disease rates, access and barriers to care, and more.
The assessment brings together information from primary local sources (such as disease reports and death certificates) and multiple state-level data sets. It also showcases the results of a countywide survey with more than 3,790 responses from residents who provided insight on issues such as housing, mental health, and access to care. While past reports have been static documents, the 2023 report provides dynamic data presentation online and allows for ongoing updates as new information becomes available.
“This assessment gave us the chance to look not only at the hard data from within our department, but to also listen to the challenges and opportunities that residents are experiencing on a daily basis when it comes to health in our community,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer.
The assessment highlights strengths in SLO County’s health, such as steadily declining rates of coronary heart disease, teen births, and COVID-19 deaths. The assessment also notes key challenges for the region, including persistent problems in access to health care, affordable housing supply, rates of suicide, and deaths from strokes.
The assessment will inform the work of SLO Health Counts, a collaborative of community members, nonprofits, government agencies, cities, schools, and leaders in SLO County working together toward the shared goal of a healthy, thriving community. SLO Health Counts members will use the assessment to develop a Community Health Improvement Plan, to be released in early 2024.
“The most powerful use of health data is to inform action, and that is what this assessment will do,” said Dr. Borenstein. “I am grateful to the many community members who shared their insights through our survey and interviews, and to the community leaders of SLO Health Counts who will use this data to work alongside us in addressing the urgent health issues our community faces.”
To access the full assessment, visit SLOHealthCounts.org.
Major findings
In this report, many readers will find information significant to their areas of interest or concern. Among the findings, several stand out as especially notable.
Health areas where SLO County fares well:
- Heart disease is still a leading cause of death, but rates of coronary heart disease have been declining in recent years in SLO County.
- In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled in the U.S., however, in SLO County, the rate of diagnosis and deaths from diabetes both continue to remain lower than the state overall.
- The rate of teen births has been declining steadily over the past several years and has historically been lower in SLO County compared to the state overall.
- COVID-19 deaths have been on a downward trend, thanks to now readily available vaccine and treatment options. The disease, which was the 4th leading cause of death in SLO County in 2021 and was responsible for over three deaths a day in the county in early 2021, is now responsible for approximately three deaths a month, a number that continues to drop.
Areas for improvement:
- Improving access to health care was voted the number one health issue that must be addressed to improve the quality of life in the community in the 2023 SLO County Community Health Survey. This theme consistently came up in focus group discussions, stakeholder interviews, and in open-ended survey responses.
- Mental health was voted the #2 health issue that must be addressed to improve the quality of life in our community. In particular, youth mental health came up frequently in discussions, with the persisting high levels of sad or hopeless feelings and suicidal ideation among surveyed students cited as cause for concern, particularly among LGBTQ+ students. Social isolation for older adults was also a persisting theme. Suicide rates among the general population also continue to remain at unacceptably high levels.
- Insufficient affordable housing was also an area noted for improvement, voted as the #3 health issue that must be addressed to improve quality of life. SLO County was ranked the 7th least affordable area for housing out of 234 communities in the U.S. and the issue was cited as a persistent source of stress even for those currently housed.
- Drug overdose deaths, driven by fentanyl, have been rising dramatically with 71 opioid-related deaths in SLO County in 2021, up from 13 opioid-related deaths in 2018.
- Deaths from strokes also continue to be higher than the state average and greater than the Healthy People 2030 target.
- Obesity rates are on the rise, nationally and in SLO County. Those who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. The rise is attributed to changes in food environments that make non-nutritious food more available, affordable, and appealing, as well as social and environmental changes that have reduced physical activity among children.
Finally, it is important to recognize that income often provides access to resources that promote good health—like good schools, health care, healthy food, and safe neighborhoods. Conversely, having a higher income can also help individuals avoid health hazards like air pollution and subpar housing conditions. As a result, low-income groups in the U.S. are more vulnerable to a variety of health issues compared to their higher-income counterparts. This assessment found this to be true in SLO County as well, with low-income groups more likely to rate their health more poorly.
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