2009 Kids Count data shows that Lyon County has dramatically improved in some areas and needs to watch others, the Flint Hills Community Health Center Board of Directors learned during Tuesday’s board meeting.
Suzanne Brown of health education and marketing at the community health center presented the information. Improvements for Lyon County included low birth weight babies, which is the percent of live births weighing under 5.5 pounds. The data is reflective of 2007 trends, and in Lyon County the number is 6.29 percent compared to a peer (counties of similar population of Lyon County) percentage of 7.33. The state rate for low birth weight babies is 7.11 percent.
“Lyon County is doing much better than the rest of the state,” Brown said.
Another dramatic improvement for Lyon County is its high school graduation rate. Current data is reflective of 2008 and is a percentage of ninth-grade public school students enrolled in the 2004-05 school year who graduated in 2008. Lyon County graduated 90.36 percent; peer counties graduated 89.51 percent and Kansas 89.44 percent.
“Lyon County has really improved in the area of high school graduation,” Brown said, adding that in 2004, the graduation rate was 85 percent.
Areas that showed room for improvement included prenatal care. 2007 data reflected that 66.67 percent of live births to mothers received adequate or adequate-plus prenatal care compared to peer rate of 77.68 percent and 77.39 percent for Kansas. The data, however, could be inaccurate based on the fact that the health department sees pregnant mothers until a couple of weeks from delivery and then the mothers see another provider for delivery. Depending on how the mothers answered when they received prenatal care, the data could be skewed.
For example, if the mother answered according to when she started seeing the contracted provider for delivery, the answer is recorded as that being the first time she has received prenatal care, said Liz Conrade, executive director of the community health center.
Youth tobacco use is up from peer rates as well. Data from 2008 reflects that 13.93 percent of sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders reported using cigarettes or tobacco in the last 30 days (of survey being taken). The peer rate is 12.79 percent and the state rate is 13.02 percent.
In other business:
• The treasurer’s report reflected a net income for the center of $246,732 in October. This included CIP money and money from Jones Trust. If those are taken out of the mix, the center took in $178,804 with a year to date operational loss of $83,332.
• Stimulus money is being used to remodel the inside of the health center. The interior is being painted and more internal renovations are planned, including painting of rooms, remodel of the waiting area and carpeting. Pillars will be painted on the entrance hallway walls and represent the “Six Pillars of Excellence” which will include a pillar for each: people, service, quality, finance, growth and community.