Otero County Community Health Profile FY2008
Executive Summary
The Otero County Community Health Council is pleased to present the following Community Health Profile. This Profile is intended for use by anyone, including public officials, agencies and organizations, and individuals with an interest in the community. It strives to be the most comprehensive statistical document about Otero County that is available. Information in this Profile can be used to help entities obtain funding, programs, or to help leverage change by influencing public policy.
In this Profile you will find information about the Otero County Community, such as general demographics (population information, community assets, and needs). Also, there is information and statistics relating to several health indicators including maternal and child health indicators, mortality (death statistics), chronic and infectious diseases, environmental health information, and risk behaviors (teen pregnancy, violence, and substance abuse).
Data in this Profile come from valid statistical sources such as the US Census Bureau, New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico Public Education Department, and other local, state, and national sources. Analysis of the data may include discussion of community attitudes and perceptions as a way of helping the reader understand that each community (county) is unique and community norms and attitudes should be considered when discussing community health issues. However, anecdotal information should always be understood for what it is: one part of the overall analysis of our community situation.
This Profile (and its earlier versions) is used to determine what issues the Otero County Community Health Council selects as priorities. The Community Health Council has selected substance abuse and obesity as its priorities. The selection of substance abuse and obesity as priorities was determined by the prevalence of the problem and the effect of these on other health indicators.
Some highlights of the specific data you will find in this profile include the following:
- 2006 population estimate of Otero County is 62,744 (page 10)
- The 2006 Otero County Race/Ethnicity estimate include 33.7% Hispanics (page 14)
- The Per Capita Income in Otero County is approximately $5000 less than that of New Mexico (page 15)
- In 2004, 15.2% of Otero County residents were living in poverty (page 16)
- In 2000, close to 75% of Otero County adults (age 25 and above) had at least a high school diploma or GED (page 21
- In 2000, 11.1% of Otero County residents (age 5 and over) reported speaking English less than very well. Also, 70.3% reported speaking English only. (page 22)
- In December 2007, Otero County had an unemployment rate of 3.0% (page 23)
- A list of annual community events is on page 27
- In 2006, 857 live births occurred to Otero County residents (page 27)
- In 2006, 27 births occurred to teen mothers age 15-17 (page 31)
- In 2005 518 deaths occurred in Otero County (page 39)
- The 2 leading causes of death in Otero County are Diseases of the heart and Malignant neoplasms (page 40)
- Diabetes is the 4th leading cause of death in Otero County (page 41)
- Over 50% of Otero County adults reported being overweight or obese (page 42)
- 9.5% of Otero County adults have Diabetes (page 45)
- The highest rate of asthma hospital discharges are for children age 0-4 years (page 48
- Otero County is a dental health professional shortage area (page 49)
- Chlamydia is the most prevalent STD in Otero County (page 53)
- Over 40% of Otero County teens used alcohol recently (page 59)
- 4.7% Otero County teens used Methamphetamine (page 60)
- 21.4% of Otero County teens used Marijuana recently (page 60)
Along with the above, you will find data reported over time to show trends in Otero County. You will also be able to compare Otero County data to that of New Mexico and in some cases the United States.
Also, within this Profile you will find what we hope is the most comprehensive list of local resources related to health and the health indicators discussed. It is always true that such resource lists are outdated as soon as they are published, but again, we will continue to update this list as new information becomes available. You can find this profile as well as other sources of data and information on the Otero County Community Health Council website: www.oterohealthcouncil.org.
If you have any questions or
comments about this Profile, please feel free to contact:
Lee Ann Loney
Otero County Community Health Council Coordinator
700 E. 1st St. Suite
720 443-8100
oterochc@tularosa.net
Otero County Community Health Council
700 E. 1st St.
Suite 720
Alamogordo, NM
88310
(505) 443-8100
Fax (505) 437-2949
oterochc@tularosa.net
oteromch@netmdc.com