Trinity County
Low
Income Primary Care Access
Summary
of Information:
Low
Income Population: 6,945 (at or
below 200% FPL, 1998)
Total
practicing primary care physicians: 4
Regular
full time equivalency: 4
Full
time equivalents serving the low-income population: 1.4
Ratio
of low-income population to low-income FTE:
4,960:1
Considered
a shortage of providers: Yes,
currently designated as whole-county HPSA.
Physicians
accepting new patients: 100%
Physicians
accepting new patients who have Medicaid coverage: 100%
Physicians
who can provide interpretation for non-English speaking patients: 0%
Languages
interpreted: NA
What
are the barriers to health care for people in your county?
“I
don’t know. I don’t see any.”
“Those
who don’t have insurance can’t pay for lab work or things like x-rays. 20-30% of our population does not have
insurance.”
Are
there additional barriers for the low-income population?
“No.”
“Some
doctors don’t see patients with Medicaid.”
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Community Input:
Trinity County is characterized by a population that
is older and poorer than most of the other counties in Public Health Region
5. It has the second highest
percentage of residents over age 50 in the 15-county region and ranks
eleventh in per capita income. This
is due in part to the large number of retirees in the county, particularly
in the Lake Livingston area.
Although these retirees are an economic boon to the community, they
also consume more health care services.
The county is somewhat divided in terms of health care access. The eastern half of the county, i.e.,
the county seat Groveton and communities to the east, look to Lufkin for
health care facilities. However,
residents in Trinity and the lake area, less than 20 miles away, primarily
use health care services provided out of Huntsville and Tyler. The local hospital, which has had
various managers, has been leased for the past few years by a health care
system out of Tyler.
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