Behavioral health, drug use among biggest Grant health concerns

MOSES LAKE — About 88% of participants said mental and behavioral health services as one of the biggest health challenges in Grant County. Another was drug use and alcohol abuse. Those were among the results reported in the 2023-24 Community Health Assessment conducted by the Grant County Health District and released April 5.

The GCHD conducted surveys, used data from state surveys, talked to focus groups and used data from local and state sources, according to the report. 

Using data from 2018, the report said high school sophomores in Grant County are slightly less likely than sophomores statewide to have considered suicide. About 21% of sophomore respondents in Grant County have thought about suicide, compared to about 23% statewide. But the trend toward considering suicide is increasing both in Grant County and statewide, the report said.

For adults, Grant County’s suicide rate was about the same as the state average in 2020, when adjusted for age. An average of about 12 people committed suicide in Grant County in 2020. The adult suicide rate went up slightly between 2011 and 2018, then decreased slightly from 2018 to 2020.

About 12% of Grant County adults said they had poor mental health in 2020, defined as 14 or more days per month of mental health challenges. That’s lower than the state average of 14%, but both county and state were experiencing upward trends, the report said. 

In 2018, about 9% of Grant County sophomores reported using controlled substances, the report said. That compared to about 5% of sophomores statewide.

For adults, the data was measured by drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people and hospitalizations related to substance abuse from 2016 to 2022. Grant County’s rate of overdose deaths was lower than the state rate from 2016 to 2021, but was comparable with the state, about 30 deaths per 100,000 people versus the state average of about 28 deaths per 100,000 people. The rate of drug-related hospitalizations was lower than the state in the same time period. For the state, the rate was about 70 hospitalized per 100,000 people, while it was about 60 people hospitalized per 100,000 in Grant County. 

In both cases, the trend was increasing, and increasing faster in Grant County’s case. 

About 19% of sophomores in the county reported using marijuana in the previous 30 days in 2018, compared to about 16% statewide.

Seniors were asked about alcohol, and in 2018 about 28.1% reported using booze in the previous 30 days. That was comparable to the state average of about 27.9% of seniors. 

Heavy alcohol use among adults from 2016 to 2020 was lower than the state average, with 5% of respondents reporting drinking to excess, compared to 7% statewide. Heavy alcohol use was defined as more than two drinks per day for men and more than one drink per day for women. 

About 27% of Grant County sophomores reported sexual activity in 2018, with about 7% experiencing sex by 13 years of age. About 4% of county sophomores reported sex with four or more partners. About 50% reported using a condom, lower than the state average of 55%

Reports of bullying among young people were above the state average in Grant County, according to the report. In 2018, 37% of fifth-graders, 28% of eighth-graders, 22% of sophomores and 20% of seniors reported a bullying incident over the previous 30 days. 

Grant County residents have less access to primary care than other people living in Washington; in 2019 about 62% of Grant County residents had seen a doctor in the previous 12 months, compared to about 70% statewide. The percentage of people who hadn’t seen a dentist in the previous year was also higher in Grant County than statewide. In 2021, 22% of high school sophomores hadn’t seen a dentist in a year, compared to 19% statewide. Among adults, 37% of Grant County residents hadn’t visited the dentist in 12 months, compared to 31% statewide. 

Fewer Grant County residents also have health insurance - or at least that was true in 2018, with about 75% of county residents covered by insurance, compared to about 89% statewide.

But more Grant County residents were using Medicaid in 2020, compared to the rest of the state. About 36.5% of county residents were using Medicaid, and 72% were younger than 18 years of age. That compared to 22.9% of state residents, with 46% of recipients being less than 18 years of age. 

Most Grant County kindergartners had received their required vaccinations in 2021, more than the state average, in fact. For 2021, 91% of county kindergarten students had received their required vaccinations, compared to 89% for the state. 

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.