Assessment of health concerns and access to care in the Fresno, Texas community

<>                  Areas heavily populated by Hispanic/Latinos, African Americans, and the poor are often plagued by environmental hazards.  Fresno, Texas is a predominantly minority community located in the Houston metropolitan area with long-standing environmental health concerns. To begin to document and address these concerns, we utilized focus group methodology to identify perceived individual and overall community health status, examine potential mediators of health, and determine where residents access primary and emergency healthcare. Twenty-three Fresno residents took part in five focus group discussions that were recorded and transcribed. The data was then analyzed using content analysis. When residential participants were asked to rate their health, most described their health status as excellent or good.  However, the participants rated the overall health of the community as fair.  Overwhelmingly, the participants stated that the water in their community could affect their health. The residents described receiving health care at several locations outside of the Fresno community, while a few participants revealed that some residents simply don't seek medical care.  Additionally, participants described accessing primary care in emergency rooms of nearby hospitals. Focus group participants also noted a lack of medical facilities in the Fresno community. The findings from this study should be used by local officials in shaping policy that addresses health care services and potential environmental contamination in minority communities. This study was supported by an EXPORT Center of Excellence funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, (5 P60 MD000503).  

 

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