Appalachian Kentucky has fewer dentists, primary-care providers and specialty physicians than the rest of the state. It has more mental-health providers than the rest of Kentucky, but that number still may not be enough to meet the region's mental-health needs.
So says a comprehensive report sponsored by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"This report shows some clear gaps that need to be filled in the eastern portion of the commonwealth," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said in a news release.
Overall, the "Health Disparities in Appalachia" report found that Appalachian health continues to fall behind the rest of the nation, and the part of the region dominated by Kentucky has the poorest health statistics -- and one of the region's many challenges is access to care.
The report found that while the proportion of mental-health providers in Appalachian Kentucky was 6 percent higher than the rest of the state (according to population), it was still about 7 percent below the national average. Thus, there still may not be enough providers to meet the needs of a region where residents report feeling mentally unhealthy about 25 percent more often than the nation as a whole, and about 15 percent more often than the rest of the state.
"There remain long waiting lists for mental-health professionals in Appalachian Kentucky and, while Appalachian women have some of the highest rates of depression, they are among the least likely to access mental health care," Fran Feltner, director of the University of Kentucky's Center for Excellence in Rural Health, said in the release.
The report also points out that the number of health-care providers, specialists and dentists are proportionally lower in the region, compared to the nation as a whole and also when compared to the rest of the state.
On the basis of population, there were 26 percent fewer primary-care physicians in the region, compared to the rest of the nation, and 21 percent fewer when compared to the state; 59 percent fewer specialists compared to the nation, and 60 percent fewer than the state; and 37 percent fewer dentists compared to the nation, and 42 percent fewer than the state.
So says a comprehensive report sponsored by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"This report shows some clear gaps that need to be filled in the eastern portion of the commonwealth," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said in a news release.
Overall, the "Health Disparities in Appalachia" report found that Appalachian health continues to fall behind the rest of the nation, and the part of the region dominated by Kentucky has the poorest health statistics -- and one of the region's many challenges is access to care.
"There remain long waiting lists for mental-health professionals in Appalachian Kentucky and, while Appalachian women have some of the highest rates of depression, they are among the least likely to access mental health care," Fran Feltner, director of the University of Kentucky's Center for Excellence in Rural Health, said in the release.
The report also points out that the number of health-care providers, specialists and dentists are proportionally lower in the region, compared to the nation as a whole and also when compared to the rest of the state.
On the basis of population, there were 26 percent fewer primary-care physicians in the region, compared to the rest of the nation, and 21 percent fewer when compared to the state; 59 percent fewer specialists compared to the nation, and 60 percent fewer than the state; and 37 percent fewer dentists compared to the nation, and 42 percent fewer than the state.
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