The 2007 Kids Count data for Lyon County was presented Tuesday afternoon at the Flint Hills Community Health Center monthly board meeting. The county’s results were a mixed bag.
The Kids Count data, compiled annually by the Kansas Action for Children organization, is designed to give counties and their communities an idea of where their children stand in comparison to children of other Kansas communities and where there is room for improvement. Flyers with this year’s data are available at the health department.
The 2007 Kids Count indicators at a glance includes health, education and economic security. The three graphs featured on the front of the Kids Count flyer are low-birth-weight babies, free and reduced-price lunches; and high-school graduation rates.
In low-birth-weight babies, Lyon County did better than the state at large, with only 6.56 percent of live births weighing under 5.5 pounds. The state average was 7.21 percent in 2005.
In free and reduced-price lunches for school students, Lyon County’s figures indicated more children in need than other counties. In 2006, the county had 54.42 percent of students participating in the free and reduced-price lunch program. This is in comparison to a state average of 38.07 percent.
In high-school graduation rates, Lyon County was running slightly behind the state average. In 2006, 86.55 percent of the ninth-grade students who were enrolled in the 2002-03 school year graduated from high school. The state average was 89.22 percent.
There was better news in the youth tobacco-use ranking. Lyon County ranked 22nd in the state for percentage of sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders who reported using cigarettes or smokeless tobacco in the last 30 days. The county reported 12.78 percent of these students reporting tobacco use. Lyon County came in under the semi-urban peer average is 14.57 percent and the Kansas’ average of 14.91 percent.
Other items discussed during Tuesday’s board meeting:
• Board members welcome the newest board member, Interim Emporia Police Chief Mike Lopez.
• Board members discussed the formation of a Friends of the FHCHC/LCHD Foundation with Merle Bolz, former board member. The purpose of the foundation would be to provide support of time, talent and money. Board members will continue discussion of the concept at next month’s meeting.
• Lougene Marsh, executive director of the health center, asked board members for permission to provide a provider incentive plan, which includes making payments to providers on a quarterly, instead of an annual basis. Board members approved this unanimously.
Items included in written reports:
• February 340B activity reported by Graves pharmacy indicated that 1,177 prescriptions were dispensed to 678 patients. The average cost per client was $6.13 per prescription with the average cost to patients whose income was below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level at $3.02.
• The FHCHC/Osage County Health Department Task Force presented the draft contract to the Osage County Commission on April 2.
• Work on the fiscal year 2008 budget has begun.