Poverty in Adams County

Panel Discussion:
Close to Home: The Impact of Poverty on Healthcare in Adams County
Gettysburg College, March 28, 2007

The Eisenhower Institute hosted a panel discussion "Close to Home: The Impact of Poverty on Healthcare in Adams County" on March 28, 2007 on the campus of Gettysburg College. The event featured a number of healthcare experts from the Adams County (PA) region. It was held in conjunction with the Institute's ongoing public policy theme entitled "Poverty and Public Policy: Strategies for the 21st Century." The Institute's Gettysburg College Eisenhower Undergraduate Fellows developed and implemented this program.

In the summer of 2006, Drexel University collaborated with Healthy Adams County (community health organization consisting of small, specialized task forces that serve vulnerable segments of the local population) to conduct a Health Assessment of the area. The results of the survey reveal the many obstacles that poor women, children, and minority groups in Adams County face with regards to receiving the quality health care that they need. For our panel discussion, several representatives from the various task forces will speak about the services that their organizations provide in the county, the main obstacles that they have observed in their work, and recommendations for improvement. The panel consisted of the following people:

Kathy Gaskins, coordinator of Healthy Adams County, described the purpose and significance of the 2006 Health Assessment Survey, as well as the services available to the insured, underinsured, and uninsured in the county. In addition, she discussed the health issues facing women and the cultural and language barriers preventing the Latino population from receiving adequate health services.

Steven Niebler of the Adams County Office of Aging discussed the obstacles faced by the area's elderly population. The 2006 Assessment identifies the increased prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, illnesses that have a particularly devastating effect on the elderly. He will discussed the increased problem of malnutrition that the elderly face due to their decreased mobility and lack of access to care.

Johnnie Lansford from Head Start discussed the ways in which the county is meeting the health needs of its children through programs such as CHIP; as well as their social and emotional development.