Nurse's Notes
2002 View
ANALYZING OUR CENSUS DATA
April 1, 2000, was our Census Day. Counting the population was
mandated by our government when George Washington was President and
was primarily intended to establish the correct distribution of
Congressional representatives. We all learned this in Civics class.
Over the ensuing 210 years, folks have figured out that this is an
ideal way to find out not only where we are but also who we are.
Some people find the questions asked intrusive; however many
decisions are based on this data—like the distribution of health
dollars, for example, and the planning of new hospitals and fire
stations. The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego (to which we belong)
has looked at the population growth “down valley”, and plans to
build another church in the La Quinta/Indio area in the
not-so-distant future. By law, personal data collected in the census
cannot be released for 72 years—in April, 2002, the census of 1930
was made available to researchers and has proved a boon to
genealogists and others who are interested in the way we were in
that Depression year.
As you may know, Riverside County is the second largest county in
area in California. The counted population on April 1, 2000, was
1,545,387, mostly concentrated in the western third of the county.
Our Coachella Valley, which the census bureau counts as stretching
from Desert Hot Springs to Desert Center, contained 321,176 people.
Ninety percent of our valley population is evenly divided between
the classifications of “white” and “Hispanic”. We have very few
black citizens, Native Americans or Asians. This is a young
area—almost two-thirds of us are under 45 years of age.
Unintentional injury deaths are higher here than in the rest of the
county, while heart disease and cancer deaths are lower. Our
drowning rate is higher and our poisoning rate is higher—both
preventable deaths.
One health problem of concern in this area is childhood asthma. More
kids were hospitalized in this valley during the four years from
1996 to 2000 than in the rest of Riverside County. This may be due
to increased particulate matter in the air, which is caused by
construction activity and/or agricultural activity, plus the
increased use of insecticides around golf courses and homes.
Hospitalization rates may also be influenced by lack of early
intervention. Asthma is no joke. Children (and adults) with asthma
need on-going care and prompt treatment of attacks. “Wait and see”
should not be the treatment of choice!
A sad statistic is that Riverside County has the lowest rate of full
childhood immunization (by age two) in California—almost 15% behind
rural Northern California, for example. We need to do a much better
job of caring for our little ones.
Statistics can only tell us so much—and of course they can be
manipulated. Nevertheless, we all need to recognize that our little
paradise, which is growing by leaps and bounds, has a ways to go in
protecting the health of the people who live here.
Send comments to webmaster George Reeves, email: greeves@stmargarets.org