Preventive Dental Care for Children in GA – A look at the disparities.

Preventive oral health care is essential for one’s overall health. For children, it is important to address oral health needs earlier in life to prevent oral health issues from forming and progressing into adulthood. Below is a map of the percentage of children in Georgia with financial access to preventive dental care. This map comes from an article written by Cao, Gentili, Griffin, Griffin & Serban (2017) titled, “Disparities in Preventive Dental Care Among Children in Georgia.”

The authors of the article state that financial access is, “the percentage of children who either are eligible for public insurance or have the ability to afford dental care through commercial insurance or ability to pay out-of-pocket,” (Cao et al., 2017). Although there are plenty of children who are eligible to receive public funding for preventive dental care in GA, only 27.9% of the 4,123 dentists in GA who offer preventive dental services to children accept public insurance, (Cao et al., 2017).

What are your thoughts? What does financial access to preventive dental care mean to you? Is this an accurate representation of financial access? I invite you to read more of the article on the CDC’s website, here. 

Source: Cao S, Gentili M, Griffin PM, Griffin SO, Serban N. Disparities in Preventive Dental Care Among Children in Georgia. Prev Chronic Dis 2017;14:170176. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.170176.

Federal Bureau of Prison Sites- National Loan Repayment Locations 2017

A National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Site is an approved health care facility that provides healthcare to populations residing in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Check out this density map which shows the total number of federal bureau of prison sites that are designated as national loan repayment locations. Eligible health care professionals that work at these sites receive a certain amount each year towards their school loans. From the map we see there are highly concentrated areas in the southeast and northeast regions of the country.

 

By Michael Paul

Rate of Self Reported Pesticide Related Illness By State 2014

 

Today’s map shows the rate of self reported pesticide related illness by state for the year of 2014 per 100,000 person. From the map we can see some states had rates ranging as low as 0.00 to 0.27 indicated by the yellow shading. In contrast some states, such as Alaska, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, New York, Kansas and Virginia had rates as high as 0.87 to 2.56 indicated by the dark blue shading. However, its important to note that because these are self-reported rates the date is subjected to under-reporting. In addition, because these exposures are self-reported both the type of pesticide and the degree of illness associated with the exposure may be mis-classified since the designation by the poison control center for both is based on the description provided by the caller.

According to the CDC farmworkers are among those when are subjected to pesticide exposure. For more information on migrant workers click here.

By Julia Watson

Domestic Migration Patters of Highly-Educated Workers.

Research by two Iowa State University economists shows there are not enough high-skilled jobs in Iowa to keep qualified people from leaving the state. Researchers found Iowa was competitive in jobs requiring a high school degrees, but lacking in having skilled workers for jobs requiring a bachelors degree. Check out this interesting map which depicts the domestic migration patter of highly educated workers. For more information click here.

By Julia Watson

Percent of Uninsured Living with HIV By County 2014 (Ages 13 and Older)

Check out this map which shows the percent of people living with HIV who were uninsured by county for the year of 2014 ages 13 and older. From the map we can see that a large portion of counties within Hawaii, the north east, and some midwest states had some of the lowest percentages of people with HIV who where uninsured indicated by the yellow shading. In contrast states in the south and west had some of the highest percentages of people living with HIV who were uninsured.  We can see Alaska and Texas were predominantly shaded dark, indicating percentages ranging as high as 19 to 39.

By Julia Watson

Percent of People With HIV Living In Poverty By County 2014 ( Ages 13 and Older)

Check out this map that shows the percent of people living with HIV who are living in poverty by county for the year of 2014. From the map we can see that a large portion of counties in the southern and western states have a higher percentage of people with HIV living in poverty, indicated by the dark shading. We can also see that Alaska has counties shaded dark, such as Yukon-Koyukuk Census area, indicating the percentage of those living in poverty range from 22.61 to 47.40.

By Julia Watson

 

Drug Induced Cause of Death Rate By County For Blacks Non Hispanic (1999 – 2015)

Check out this map that shows the rate of drug induced cause of death by county for Blacks Non Hispanic for years 1999 to 2015. From the data we can see some western and eastern states have counties with a higher mortality rate indicated by the darker shading, compared to southern states indicated by the yellow shading.

By Julia Watson

Opioid Prescribing Rate By County 2014

Check out this map of the day shows the rate of opioid prescription by county for the year of 2014 per 100 persons. From the map we can see many counties within various southern states and some western states, such as Northern California and Organ, have higher rates indicated by the dark brown shading. Are you able to identify some counties that once had a higher rate in 2014 compared to the previously posted 2015 and 2016 maps?

By Julia Watson

Injury Death Rate By County ( 2009 to 2013)

Check out this map that shows the rate of deaths due to injury by county for years 2009 to 2013 per 100,000 population. From the map we can see some states have a large portion of counties shaded dark, such as New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, West Virginia indicating they had a higher rate of deaths caused by injury. In contrast, we can see some states such as New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire are predominantly shaded yellow/light orange indicating they had a lower rate of injury deaths. Why might this be? According to the Washington Post blue-collar jobs have the highest rate of fatal occupational injuries. Thus, on might question if the counties with the highest rate of injury death also reflect counties where a high proportion of residents have blue-collar jobs?

By Julia Watson

Average Daily PM 2.5 By County in 2011

Particulate Matter (PM) are small particles that contain microscopic solids and liquid droplets that are suspended in the air which can be inhaled and cause health effects. PM range in size, but particles less than 10 mm present the greatest threat. Some particles are emitted directly from a source such as, smokestacks, fires, construction sites, etc. and others are a result of complex atmospheric reactions [1].

Check out this map that shows the average daily PM 2.5 by county in 2011. From the graph we see a three distinct darkly shaded clusters indicating a high amount of daily exposure. The first cluster includes counties in Nevada and Utah. The second cluster includes counties within Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska. The third and most prominent includes counties within various southern states such as, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and North and South Carolina. In contrast, we can see states such as Oregon, Texas, California and Arizona are shaded yellow indicating a lower daily average.

By Julia Watson