Overview

These are some of the findings announced today by members of the Boone County Health Report Card Project, an effort introduced one year ago by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Project teams studied 14 health-related issues and assessed the community's standing by assigning a letter grade.

"We're doing a lot of things right in Boone County when it comes to making a safe, healthy community," said project chairman Bob Bailey, assistant dean of the MU School of Law. "These reports reinforce that, but they also reveal areas of weakness and remind us there's much left to do."

Boone County received a grade of B from team members studying preschool rates, noting that 84 percent of all 2-year-old public clinic clients were fully immmunized against childhood diseases. This compares favorably with the state's 1996 target rate of 75 percent. "We've seen a marked improvement in Boone County's immunization rate this year," said team leader Mary Martin, a nurse at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department, "largely because there's a strong community support for this initiative. This year we hope to top 90 percent."

The dental health team also gave Boone County a B, saying the opening of the new Mid-Missouri Dental Clinic now provided managed dental care to Medicaid-eligible children in 18 counties. In addition, the community benefited from a pain-relief program for adults initiated this year, drawing upon the voluntary cooperation of 18 local dentists and three oral surgeons.

Boone County is less successful, however, when it comes to keeping its students in school, earning a D+ from the team studying the school dropout issue. With an annual graduation rate of 72 percent, Boone County ranks 97th among Missouri's 115 counties. Among the 28 Missouri districts with more than 300 graduates each year, only six districts - St. Louis City, Kansas City, Hickman Mills, Joplin, Independence and Ferguson-Florissant - have a lower graduation rate than Columbia.

"We must do better," said team co-leader Bill Elder, a research associate with University Outreach and Extension. "These low graduation rates tell us we have work to do inside and outside the schools. Family involvement is key to help kids stay in school, do well and graduate."

The community got a C- from the team examining the problem of teen pregnancy. Statewide, the number of births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 dropped from 58 in 1980 to 56 in 1995. In Boone County, though, the rate for African-American women climbed from 89 per 1,000 to 126 per 1,000 during that time period. The rate for Caucasian females in Boone County remained at 19.

And "youth-access" checks by the team studying tobacco use by minors caught 38.5 percent of Boone County's venders selling cigarettes to buyers younger than 18, at that time a violation of state and local laws. This team gave Boone County a C-. "We'll continue the compliance checks this year," said team leader Sue Dabney. "Our goal is a 95 percent compliance rate by the end of 1997."

Other issues examined by project teams were family nurturance and preservation, communicable diseases, access to affordable health care, availablity of mental health services, child abuse, substance abuse and senior health services.

The Boone County Health Report Card project was created in February 1995 to improve the health of the community. A comprehensive health assessment identified problem issues and selected 13 to address as key concerns. The project involves more than 200 people from all walks of the community. It is funded by the Boone County Commission.

Next year, another series of report cards will be issued to monitor progress on each issue.

"Boone County is a great place to live and raise a family and we all have an obligation to help keep it that way," Bailey said. "We all have a stake in this project."