Regional Health Care Assessment

Allen County, Kansas

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 13,212
  • Median Household Income: $38,712
  • Poverty Rate: 18.0%
  • Unemployment Rate: 5.2%
  • Uninsured Population: 11.8%

Cass County, Missouri

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 100,339
  • Median Household Income: $61,046
  • Poverty Rate: 9.6%
  • Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
  • Uninsured Population: 9.7%

Clay County, Missouri

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 227,984
  • Median Household Income: $61,184
  • Poverty Rate: 9.3%
  • Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
  • Uninsured Population: 10.1%

Jackson County, Missouri

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 678,167
  • Median Household Income: $46,917
  • Poverty Rate: 17.5%
  • Unemployment Rate: 5.9%
  • Uninsured Population: 14.6%

Johnson County, Kansas

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 560,025
  • Median Household Income: $75,017
  • Poverty Rate: 6.5%
  • Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
  • Uninsured Population: 7.2%

Lafayette County, Missouri

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 33,069
  • Median Household Income: $51,195
  • Poverty Rate: 10.7%
  • Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
  • Uninsured Population: 10.0%

Leavenworth County, Kansas

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 77,687
  • Median Household Income: $64,909
  • Poverty Rate: 10.8%
  • Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
  • Uninsured Population: 7.8%

Miami County, Kansas

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 32,765
  • Median Household Income: $60,622
  • Poverty Rate: 9.3%
  • Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
  • Uninsured Population: 7.3%

Platte County, Missouri

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 92,149
  • Median Household Income: $68,638
  • Poverty Rate: 7.4%
  • Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
  • Uninsured Population: 8.1%

Ray County, Missouri

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 23,166
  • Median Household Income: $51,585
  • Poverty Rate: 15.6%
  • Unemployment Rate: 5.4%
  • Uninsured Population: 9.3%

Wyandotte County, Kansas

Quick Facts

  • 2015 Population: 159,466
  • Median Household Income: $39,326
  • Poverty Rate: 24.3%
  • Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
  • Uninsured Population: 22.5%

Background

Health status of Kansas City area residents is important to track on a regular basis. The health of our residents affects the region’s economy as employees in poor health are less productive in meeting their job responsibilities or are unable to work, affecting earning potential; students in poor health are not able to learn and become capable of meeting future workforce needs; residents are unable to fully participate in the civic life of the community; and public funding is required to support health needs, taking away from other important community priorities.

Community health outcomes are often a factor of specific behaviors, socio-economic circumstances and the environment in which people live, as well as their access to quality health care. Comparing trends over time and disparities by geography and race or ethnicity can help communities identify and address health issues.

Three principal findings emerged from health data compiled by the Mid-America Regional Council on behalf of the REACH Healthcare Foundation in 2017:

      1. The region is getting healthier. Death rates for many diseases are declining.
      2. Despite this overall improvement, vulnerable populations tend to have disproportionately poorer health outcomes. Rapid growth in vulnerable populations — particularly those in poverty and racial/ethnic minorities — makes addressing these disparities critical for continued improvement in regional health.
      3. Implementation of the federal health insurance exchange has significantly reduced the number of uninsured in the region.

Secondary findings include:

  • There are broad improvements in many medical categories; however, that is not the case for obesity and diabetes where prevalence remains high. These conditions are often complicating factors in a host of other health outcomes.
  • Mental health remains an issue with an increase in poor mental health days reported for every county except Ray over the past five years and an increasing incidence and deaths from suicide.
  • The number of patients served by FQHCs has increased since 2012 by over 33%, with two-thirds of all patients over 18 years, persons of color and at or below the poverty line. Forty-three percent of patients are uninsured.

The assessment data covers two overlapping geographies — the REACH Healthcare Foundation service area and the MARC region — combined the area encompasses 11 counties: Cass, Clay, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray in Missouri, and Allen, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte in Kansas.

The report focuses on medically vulnerable populations — people who, because of income, race or ethnicity, lack of health insurance, age, disability, or limited English, may be more likely to experience health issues or have difficulty accessing quality health care.

Hover over the map for quick facts on each county. Click on a county for a detailed report.
Data is the most current available as of September 2017.

 

Clay County, Missouri Ray County, Missouri Lafayette County, Missouri Allen County, Kansas Miami County, Kansas Leavenworth County, Kansas Platte County, Missouri Wyandotte County, Kansas Johnson County, Kansas Jackson County, Missouri Cass County, Missouri