Every three years, and as an Internal Revenue Service requirement of not-for-profit entities, the Trigg County Hospital must complete a Community Health Needs Assessment — one that fully encapsulates the general wellness of the cities it serves.
The trending data for 2025 was released during Thursday night’s Board of Trustees meeting, when Melody Nall and Mercedes Fraser of the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment once again noted the positives and the negatives of the general population.
Nall said that primary data collection came from three focus groups, more than 330 returned surveys, as well as scores of one-on-one interviews with hospital patients and stakeholders.
Those surveyed were asked to select their top three health challenges either they, or someone in their household, was facing, and the top 10 overall, in order, were:
+ High blood pressure
+ Arthritis and joint pain
+ Mental health issues
+ Diabetes
+ Weight concerns and obesity
+ Tobacco and vaping use
+ Heart disease and/or stroke
+ Cancer
+ Other
+ Asthma
+ And other respiratory and/or lung diseases
In a comparison to the 2021 data, weight concerns actually fell from second to fifth, arthritis and joint pain jumped to second, and mental health issues leapt from sixth to third.
Nall noted the four biggest perceived reasons impacting health included access to food and healthcare, the development of chronic diseases and a lack of economic security. Transportation, or the lack thereof, she said, remains a legitimate concern on multiple fronts.
Key secondary data health points also paint Trigg County in a somewhat harsher light. Nall said that the area trends higher than the Kentucky average in critical sectors, including 20% smokers, 40% adults with obesity, 13% with prevalent diabetes, 26% exhibiting physical inactivity, 17% with food insecurity and 18% with frequent mental distress. Trigg County’s dentist-to-patient ratio is 7,180-to-1, and its mental health providers ratio is 3,640-to-1 — both significantly higher than the state average.
Referencing 2021 data from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, smoking is down 4%, obesity concerns are up 1% and physical inactivity is down 7%.
Furthermore, there’s one dentist in the county per 7,390 residents, and one mental health provider per 4,930 residents. Neither of those ratios have changed in the last 36 months.
Once this data was returned to Trigg County’s steering committee, Nall said five priorities materialized:
1) Improve mental health options for adults and pediatrics.
2) Improve transportation modes and food delivery options.
3) Shore up food insecurities, while urging healthy eating practices and negating obesity.
4) Usher in more health education, by addressing the perceptions what is healthy vs. unhealthy.
And 5) combat substance abuse, including smoking, vaping, alcohol and drugs — prescription and illegal.
This year’s steering committee for this survey involved Trigg County Superintendent Dr. Rex Booth, Trigg County Extension Agent Shelley Crawford, Natalie Dixon of the Cadiz Housing Authority, Kathy Gibson, Kathleen Haley-Sumner and Carl Heckmann of The Way Christian Youth Center, Cissy Lawrence of the Trigg County Senior Citizen’s Center, City of Cadiz Administrator Jack Lingenfelter, Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism Director Beth Sumner, Marshella Tincher of Trigg County Hospital Behavioral Health, and Cadiz Police Chief Tyler Thomas.
Board members approved the report, and an action plan will be revealed at a later date.
