Caring for Populations

Caring for Populations: Part I Huntington, WV was named by the Center for Disease Control in 2010 as the least healthy city in the least healthy state of America in the most overweight nation in the developed world (Kilmer,et.al, 2008). Jamie Oliver, known as the Naked Chef, came to Huntington in the fall of 2010 to try to teach the school cooks how to prepare a healthier menu that the school children would eat. He was not met with open arms by the school cooks, the school system or children. Huntington, WV is a dying town in the rust belt of the United States that has lost its manufacturing and railroad employment. Unemployment is worse than the national average and, poverty hovers around 19% much greater than the national average of 15%. Huntington is located on the junction of two large rivers but there is no activity in and around the river. There is one park in the city and there is very little activity in large park that takes up five city blocks and has many activities available. 35% of the children are obese in Huntington. This area also possesses the highest rate of heart disease in the nation as well as the poorest dental health with more than 50% of the elderly without teeth. Is it any wonder that the largest employer in the county is a hospital?
Community Information
According to the US Census Bureau, the population of Cabell County in which Huntington is located in the majority of the county is 95, 214 making it the second largest in the state of WV which has a population of 1,819,777 (US Census, 2009). 92.5% are white in the county and 94.4% in the state are white as well. 21% have a bachelor degree compared to 14% in the state (US Census, 2009). Marshall University is located in the city that is the second largest employer and has a medical school.
The median household income is $33,360 while the state’s median is $37,528. The United States median income is $49,777. Cabell County has more than $172 million in foodservice sales per year

References: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, (2009). Chronic Disease Indicators, Retrieved January 21, 2011 from www.cdc.org Kilmer, G., et al, (2008, 15 August) . Surveillance of Certain Health Behaviors and Conditions Among States and Selected Local Areas—Beavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), CDC Surveillance Summaries. 57(SS07):1-188. Orsi, C., Hale, D., & Lynch, J. (2011. Feb). Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity, (18) 1, 14-22. United States Census Bureau, (2009). Retrieved January 21,2011 at www.census.gov.