Smart Talk: Community health and human service needs?
What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, March 12, 2015:
The three biggest health concerns of Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry County residents are access to affordable healthcare, nutritious foods, and prescription drugs. That’s according to data from Life in the Capital Region, a community assessment report compiled for the United Way of the Capital Region and its partners. These concerns could become even more important as the number of Pennsylvanians age 65 and over increase by 80% by 2040, and those 85 and over grow more than 132%.
Concerns about receiving a quality education are also understandable, given that between 75 – 92% of young children in the three counties lack access to good pre-kindergarten programs, and some school-age students still lack proficiency in math and reading. Many of these findings for the capitol region reflect similar trends across the state, although in all age groups except employment-age adults the capitol region is actually growing faster.
Tim Fatzinger, Jennifer Doyle, and George Book
As our region continues to grow and become more diverse, access to education, healthcare, and jobs remains of interest to county residents, whether they live in predominantly rural Perry County or urban Dauphin County. To discuss the kinds of services that current and future residents of the capitol region will need, Tim Fatzinger President and CEO of United Way of the Capitol Region, Jennifer Doyle from the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, and George Book from the West Shore Chamber of Commerce join us on Thursday’s Smart Talk.
