From Our Team
Discover more about the region with innovative web site
With all that’s going-on in medical reform, talk of taxing certain foods and drinks, improving regional mass transit, and a changing economy, I have lots of questions like:
How many people in the county have medical insurance? What is the density of fast food restaurants in our region? What is the average travel time to work? How many households are without a vehicle in the county? How many families live below the poverty level?
Fortunately for residents of the Paso del Norte region there is a simple, fast, and free way to get these answers and more. A newly launched website www.healthypasodelnorte.org is available to you, in English and Spanish, which contains a vast array of regional demographic, health, economic, education, and other information.
The Healthy Paso del Norte website is part of a much larger regional effort to promote health and prevent disease in the region. With partners ranging from Center Against Family Violence to YWCA Paso del Norte Region, the website has broad community support and utilization.
Students from elementary school to college may find the website useful. For example, an elementary school student conducting a science fair project on toothpaste could, with help from an adult, quickly discover background information reveling that 51.5% of adults in El Paso County had their teeth cleaned by a dentist or dental hygienist in 2010.
A college student writing a paper on alcohol consumption would discover that an average of 19.3% of adults in El Paso County reported binge drinking in the last 30 days; digging further, however, the student would discover that a break-down by sex reviles that 6.5% of females binge drink and 31% of males binge drink along with differences in ethnicity and age. While the statistics are interesting, they also have value for making decisions about alcohol control strategies.
But the website has more than statistics. There is local, state, and national health news; someone can quickly calculate their Body Mass Index, check the current air quality, and find a walkability score for a specific zip code. There is a calendar of health events, which you can add to, and a list of funding opportunities.
So next time you are wondering how many births to teenagers we have in the region, how many people get the recommended number of five servings of fruit/vegetable daily, current unemployment numbers, crime rates, or simply the total population, start your search at www.healthypasodelnorte.org.
Some Answers for El Paso County:
Adults with Medical Insurance: 60.4%, worse than the US average
Average Travel Time to Work: 23 minutes, near the US average
Families Living Below Poverty: 20.8%, worse than the US average
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: 19.5%, better than the US average
Adults who Smoke: 14.7%, better than the US average
Total County Population 2014: 842,890
If you’re interested in other answers, visit the free website and discover more about the fabulous region we call Paso del Norte.
Dr. Michael Kelly
Dr. Kelly joined the Foundation in 1999. In his role as Vice President of Programs, he provides leadership for the Health Foundation’s health priority areas and supervises a talented program staff. Dr. Kelly plays a central role in Health Foundation leadership, including staffing the Allocations Committee and overseeing grantmaking. He also is instrumental in designing, implementing, and evaluating Collective Impact initiatives and leading special projects. His philosophy is for all people to have the ability, environmental support, and freedom to pursue health and quality of life. He has an unsurpassed ability to predict and navigate the many complex vicissitudes in the philanthropic and population health. A native of Houston, Dr. Kelly received a Ph.D. in health education from Texas A&M University. He also holds a Masters of Education in Health Education and a B.A. in biology. He now lives in El Paso with his wife Nethia and their two sons.
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