Henry County Case Study

Henry County (30253) Henry County, Georgia is located 30 minutes south of Atlanta. This quaint southern county best known its southern charm and the worst traffic in the State of Georgia. Thousands drive through the county every day either on their way to Florida or up north. Visitors, who come here say they are taken back by the historical antebellum homes and cozy feel of the area.
Henry county may have the Southern Charm however, if you live here your commute on average is one hour each way to work. There are few companies here in the county that employ the residents. Having the worst traffic brings on frequent accidents, road rage and many residents who feel they waist so much of their lives in the car. Time that they won’t get back.
Environmental noise is a major source of public complaints. Noise in the community causes physical and socio-economic effects and has been shown to be related to adverse health impacts. Noise, however, has not been actively researched in the United States
compared with the European Union countries in recent years (UWG (Geosciences). The only few times when noise is reported is during race weekend. Henry County is home to the Atlanta Motor Speedway which host 1 -2 Nascar races per year. New residents to the area who live close to the rail tracks do complain of the Long trains that run 4 times a day through the country transporting goods. Once you have lived here for a while the sounds of the train are no longer an issue.
Henry County, ranks 30th in the state for obesity, 1 in every 4 children are either overweight or obese. Adults are almost as bad with 2 out of 3 are obese or over (Henry.countyhealthrankings.org/2015), People fine it easier and cheaper to run through the drive through and order a family of 4 food then it’s it to go to the local market or farmers market and buy fresh food. Children these days are sitting in front of an Xbox or I pad, rather than spending time outside getting. The health consequences and costs associated with obesity are staggering. Obese adults are at increased risk of developing more than 20 major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis, gall bladder disease and some cancers. Children are at increased risk for hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, and asthma, as well as low self-esteem. (http://stateofobesity.org/ http:/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.) Our Government is partly to blame as well, a consumer can use their EBT card in the gas station to buy a bag of chips and a soft drink rather than can use it at a local farmer’s market. So, the population gets fatter and with that they are faced with Heart disease. Children as young as 12 (children’s healthcare Atlanta heart health /2014) as being diagnosed with early stages of heart disease. Poor dietary choices, physical inactivity, and low rates of breastfeeding have been identified as root causes of childhood and adult obesity and heart disease. Together with the help of Piedmont hospital and local programs they came up with a plan to fight this epidemic.Henry County Community Health Assessment, the Henry County Health Partners chose to focus on childhood and adult obesity. Having health insurance is a great thing however, consumers need education on health issues as well an economic stability and access to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables to have good health (Dr. H Heiman, More House School of medicine 11/2015.Gyms are everywhere some are just ten dollars a month, the county has serval parks that have walking trails and tennis courts. Designated bike lanes and trails are located all over the county . Community services are another problem here in the county, there are programs yet, not enough to accommodate those in need. Many programs especially our mental health programs are on a first come first serve basis and those with real mental ill issues are not benefiting because of issues with wait times and available staff. McIntosh trails is a counseling service that helps those with Developments issues and those with mental health.(McIntosh/ county resources2016). Transportation to these services also prevent many from being able to show up to their appointments. The county does have a van service that come and transports the elderly or disabled for a fee. As for the rest of the population if you don’t have a car you are unable to utilize the services. The Piedmont Hospital ER has become the place for all services. The average wait time on any given day is 8-10 hours to be seen. (piedmont.org/2017). My personal assessment of the mental health resources is disappointing here in Henry County, recently my 31-year-old autistic son attempted suicide.
As a RN who works in the community I knew I was going to face challenges in finding resources. As the parent, it was the hardest part getting resources. Because my son is Autistic, many of the Psychiatrics did not want to treat because they were not specialized in Autisms. The other hurdle was because he was on Medicaid, we were limited to one program that were told we had to apply for a spot. The resources just are not there. We still struggle for resources and all his help is now private pay. This bothers me because Michael is not the only person with special needs, and not the only one who will attempt suicide. Not every parent or family member can pay out of pocket. Mental health for this country needs an overhaul, Mental health for this community needs so much
help. Public Safety is another concern here in the county with Henry County being right at the Interstate 75, which runs right into Florida, Drugs have become a huge problem Heroine and meth are they two drugs that keeo the ER and Police department busyHCPD/heat unit/) On a, given day the ER Receives 2-3 drug over doses (Piedmont .org). As a parent of a son who is in law enforcement in the county I hear all the problems we have going on with drugs and it frightening that all this happens in this county. These over doses are not just teens and young adults, the older adults here in the county are affected as well. The homeless population have the highest rates of addiction and overdoses here in Henry County (piedmont/org/community news2012). Resources and education are offered however, many are re admitted within 30 days of their previous admissions.