WSKG on public health

WSKG: What is the most pressing public health issue facing Chemung County residents today? 

A: Poverty. It’s the 4th leading cause of death in this country. We have a high poverty / homelessness rate for a county of our size. Poverty impacts every part of a person’s life. Not getting the right nutrition or amount of food leads to severe health issues, not having access to health care leads to worsening health problems. The county helped with part of this recently with the establishment of a federally qualified health center in Elmira that will offer care to any resident no matter their health insurance status or even if they are homeless. But there is more work to be done. Improving transportation so that people can get to their medical appointments are key. We need to make it easier for the elderly to get the services that they need. Their costs keep going up and their ability to reach help are going down. This all impacts our quality and length of life. We all hope to live to be senior citizens, but when we get there we want to be healthy and not impoverished.