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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, Snoquatmie, 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% tiving in 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 220WA), and one dentist per 1,820 residents (one per 1,170 <br />WA). These ratios woutd be even worse taking into account only those providers who accept Medicaid <br />as insurance. Access to medical, 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 physica[ and mental distress, adutt smoking, excessive drinking, chitd <br />mortatity, food insecurity, suicide, and sexua[[y transmitted infections. Residents have less access to <br />healthy food sources and exercise opportunities. However, Kittitas County has better [ife expectancy <br />and lower HIV prevatence, drug overdose deaths, alcohot-impaired driving deaths, teen births, deaths <br />due to injury, and preventable hospital stays. 3 <br />Unemptoymentratesare6.3%(comparedto5.2%inWA), 13%of chitdrenliveinpoverty(comparedto <br />12%in WA), income inequatity is higher than the state, and the median househotd income is <br />significantty lower than Washington State as a whote (562,700 compared to 584,200 in WA). Severe <br />housing probtems are more prevatent as we[[: only 60% own homes, and 19% of househotds 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 <br />L.:: rr:'rrLltli '.;' <br />,.;t:;lxtti,fr. <br />tir'rt,f li:l-iirlle <br />}I <br />@ :lir r,itr ili.,rl i:: <br />I l- llrr'r.:Lru rq <br />6 <br />i <br />l.lt.rrF:i <br />. g <br />Y ir krrrrir <br />:r <br />lrk <br />::t <br />l,l.i:l r!'r l <br />Lj.,r!,.i r;:r. <br />1 (Population of Cities, Towns, and Counties Aprit 1, 2OZ3) <br />2 (University of Wisconsin Population Heatth lnstitute 2023) <br />3 (University of Wisconsin Population Heatth lnstitute 2023) <br />a (University of Wisconsin Poputation Heatth tnstitute 2023) <br />8