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Kittitas County is in the center of Washington State on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. The
<br />county is surrounded by several mountain passes (Btewett, Snoqualmie, Manastash) and is nearty 2
<br />hours away from the largest urban area in the state (Seattte. ) Other larger cities nearby inctude
<br />Yakima (45 minutes away) and Wenatchee (1.5 hours away.) ln other words, there are muttipte
<br />geographic barriers to accessing a comprehensive range of services.
<br />With a population of about 47,300 people and about 45%Iivingin unincorporated areasl, there is one
<br />primary care physician per 1,700 residents (compared to one per 1,180 Washington State), one mental
<br />heatth provider per 500 residents (one per 22OWA), and one dentist per 1,820 residents (one per 1,170
<br />WA). These ratios would be even worse taking into account only those providers who accept Medicaid
<br />as insurance. Access to medicat, dentat, and mental heatth care is made more difficutt by the shortage
<br />of providers in addition to the fact that 8% of adutts in Kittitas County tack heatth insurance.2
<br />Compared to Washington state, residents of Kittitas County experience higher rates of poor physicat
<br />and mental heatth days, frequent physicat and mental distress, adult smoking, excessive drinking, chitd
<br />mortatity, food insecurity, suicide, and sexuatty transmitted infections. Residents have less access to
<br />heatthy food sources and exercise opportunities. However, Kittitas County has better [ife expectancy
<br />and lower HIV prevalence, drug overdose deaths, atcohot-impaired driving deaths, teen births, deaths
<br />due to injury, and preventabte hospital stays. 3
<br />Unemployment rates are 6.3o/o (compared to 5.2% in WA), 13% of chitdren live in poverty (compared to
<br />12%in WA), income inequatity is higher than the state, and the median household income is
<br />significantly [ower than Washington State as a whole (562,700 compared to 984,200 in WA). Severe
<br />housing probtems are more prevalent as welt: only 60% own homes, and 19% of households spend 50% or
<br />more of their income on housing. The chitdcare cost burden is high and voter turnout is low. However,
<br />viotent crime is significantty lower than Washington State, and high school graduation rates are higher.
<br />4
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<br />1 (Poputation of Cities, Towns, and Counties Aprit 1, ZOZ3)
<br />2 (University of Wisconsin Population Heatth lnstitute 2023)
<br />3 (University of Wisconsin Poputation Heatth lnstitute 2023)
<br />4 (University of Wisconsin Poputation Heatth lnstitute 2023j
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