By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — A trio of St. Bonaventure University public health students shared the results of their study of factors that influence Cattaraugus County residents’ health with the Board of Health earlier this week.
The students, Health Department interns Kevin Eberth, Molly Gipson and Ben Vitale found a combination of factors including a high percentage of families living below the poverty line, a median family income $25,000 below the state average, a lack of primary care physicians, dentists and specialists and the lack of access to affordable food led to a lower quality of life for many residents.
Many of the health inequalities stem from income levels and education. The annual median family income of $54,000 puts Cattaraugus County far below the state average of $79,000. About 54% of county residents have a college degree as compared to 70% statewide, the students found.
They found other factors including health insurance, transportation and the availability of services also lead to disparities in healthcare. Mental health issues are often overlooked in hospital situations. Also, 25% of the adults in the county are smokers and 12.7% don’t see a doctor regularly, but will go to an emergency room if they are very sick
There is also a lack of health education, the students found. Also, a large number of residents do not live within a half mile of a grocery store, leading to food deserts. Inactivity is another widely-reported county statistic.
The students developed several recommendations based on their studies and interviews with residents.
- Greater use of higher education resources in the community.
- Better communication and collaboration between organizations to prevent overlapping resources.
- Improving relations with the community. By hosting community health fairs and including non-traditional community leaders, the Health Department can spread awareness on how a healthy lifestyle can change your life.
Board of Health President David Smith thanked the students and urged members to carefully consider their findings and recommendations.
“Let’s see if there is a way to change some of the statistics we saw here today,” said Public Health Director Dr. Kevin Watkins, who issued a progress report on the Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan.
The annual Robert Woods Johnson County Health Rankings has listed Cattaraugus County near the bottom of the list for many years for many of the same reasons the students found in interviews.
Some of the data from the Health Department’s partners is missing, but the department is looking at how to overcome some of the social determinants that lead to bad health outcomes.
Watkins said the county had reported few confirmed cases of influenza, Covid or RSV. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 17, three influenza A cases were reported and 1 influenza B. That is the lowest in four years for this time of year. Most respiratory activity has been the common cold, a rhinovirus.
There have been 20 cases of Covid reported in November and December, but much of the activity is tracked from sewage samples in Olean and Gowanda, Watkins said. He said the CDC recommends everyone over the age of six months get vaccinated for influenza and Covid.
