Community Health Statistics for Caddo Parish, Louisiana

Community Health Statistics for Caddo Parish, Louisiana Description of Caddo Parish, Louisiana With about a quarter of a million residents, Caddo Parish, Louisiana is a fairly older community with almost two-thirds of its population aged 25 years or older. Most of the residents of Caddo Parish (82.3%) are high school graduate or higher and 22.3% have a bachelor's degree or higher compared to the national averages of 84.6% and 27.5%, respectively.

There are slightly more females than males in Caddo Parish, and median family incomes are slightly lower than the national average at $48,522; per capita income is also slightly less than the national average at $22,323. There are also slightly more whites than blacks (50.3% compared to 46.4%, respectively) in Caddo Parish. Recent relevant statistical data for these and other areas of interest are presented below. Table Biophysical Considerations: Caddo Parish Population Size Census Pop. 5,282 8,884 68.2% 12,140 36.7% 21,714 78.9% 26,296 21.1% Population Size Census Pop. 31,555 20.0% 1900 44,499 41.0% 1910 58,200 30.8% 1920 83,265 43.1% 1930 124,670 49.7% 1940 150,203 20.5% 1950 176,547 17.5% 1960 223,859 26.8% 1970 230,184 2.8% 1980 252,358 9.6% 1990 248,253 1.6% 2000 252,161 1.6% 2006 253,118 0.4% (estimate) Source: Caddo Parish Census Data, United States Census Bureau.

"Louisiana Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990" at http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts / la190090.txt. Table 2 Social Characteristics of Caddo Parish Social Characteristics Estimate Percent U.S.

Margin of Error Average household size 2.50 2.60 +/-0.02 Average family size 3.23 3.19 +/-0.04 Population 25 years and over 163,358 +/-151 High school graduate or higher 83.2 84.6% Bachelor's degree or higher 22.3 27.5% Civilian veterans (civilian population 18 years and over) 21,732 11.6 10.1% +/-838 With a Disability Foreign born 4,593 1.8 12.4% +/-592 Male, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over) 42,075 45.3 52.3% +/-983 Female, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over) 40,134 37.5 48.4% +/-1,125 Speak a language other than English at home (population 5 years and over) 8,447 3.6 19.6% +/-702 Household population 244,937 +/-1,216 Group quarters population Table 3 Economic Characteristics of Caddo Parish Economic Characteristics Estimate Percent U.S.

Margin of Error In labor force (population 16 years and over) 120,200 61.4 65.0% +/-1,680 Mean travel time to work in minutes (workers 16 years and over) 19.2 25.2 +/-0.4 Median household income (in 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars) 36,536 51,425 +/-923 Median family income (in 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars) 48,522 62,363 +/-1,507 Per capita income (in 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars) 22,323 27,041 +/-511 Families below poverty level 15.8 9.9% +/-1.0 Individuals below poverty level 21.1 13.5% +/-0.9 Table 4 Housing Characteristics of Caddo Parish Housing Characteristics Estimate Percent U.S.

Margin of Error Total housing units 113,303 +/-499 Occupied housing units 98,086 86.6 88.2% +/-1,105 Owner-occupied housing units 62,407 63.6 66.9% +/-1,094 Renter-occupied housing units 35,679 36.4 33.1% +/-1,109 Vacant housing units 15,217 13.4 11.8% +/-949 Owner-occupied homes 62,407 +/-1,094 Median value (dollars) 106,700 185,400 +/-2,834 Median of selected monthly owner costs With a mortgage (dollars) 1,046 1,486 +/-21 Not mortgaged (dollars) +/-6 Table 5 Demographic Estimates for Caddo Parish ACS Demographic Estimates Estimate Percent U.S.

Margin of Error Total population 252,467 Male 119,938 47.5 49.3% +/-98 Female 132,529 52.5 50.7% +/-98 Median age (years) 35.6 36.5 +/-0.1 Under 5 years 17,864 7.1 6.9% +/-73 18 years and over 188,634 74.7 75.4% +/-24 65 years and over 34,175 13.5 12.6% +/-113 One race 249,130 98.7 97.8% +/-472 White 127,032 50.3 74.5% +/-531 Black or African-American 117,124 46.4 12.4% +/-443 American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3 0.8% +/-311 Asian 2,283 0.9 4.4% +/-147 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 78 0.0 0.1% +/-30 Some other race 1,795 0.7 5.6% +/-437 Two or more races 3,337 1.3 2.2% +/-472 Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 5,583 2.2 15.1% Explanation of Symbols: '***' - The median falls in the lowest interval or upper interval of an open-ended distribution. A statistical test is not appropriate.

'*****' - The estimate is controlled. A statistical test for sampling variability is not appropriate. 'N' - Data for this geographic area cannot be displayed because the number of sample cases is too small. '(X)' - The value is not applicable or not available. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005-2009 American Community Survey The 2000 Census indicates that slightly more than 252,000 live in Caddo Parish, representing a modest growth of about 1.6% in recent years.

The Parish is comprised of the following eleven municipalities: Belcher, Blanchard, Gilliam, Greenwood, Hosston, Ida, Mooringsport, Oil City, Rodessa, Shreveport and Vivian, with the City of Shreveport being the largest metropolitan area, which also serves as the Parish seat (About the Parish of Caddo, 2011).

Population unemployment rate The current unemployment rate for Caddo Parish is 7.1% (Caddo Parish unemployment rate, 2011), but even for many of those fortunate enough to have full-time employment, wages are depressed in the parish with educational paraprofessionals and other support staff earning around $800 a month net (State lines, 2008). Annual public health funding allocation Figure 1.

Caddo Parish Public Expenditures Source: Annual report, 2010 (http://www.caddo.org/pdfs/2010_Annual_Report.pdf) Physical Environmental Considerations Potential for disaster: The potential for disaster in Caddo Parish is pronounced, given its proximity to Shreveport as shown in Figure 1 below: Figure 2. Caddo Parish Flood Zone Source: http://www.caddo.org/Images/fzonebig.jpg The physical environment characteristics of Caddo Parish are set forth in Tables 6 and 7 below.

Table 6 Physical Environment Characteristics of Caddo Parish Geography and Statistics Statistics Average elevation 174 feet Land area in square miles Water area in square miles 54.9 Table 7 Climate for Caddo Parish Average temperatures Statistics Annual 65° January 55° July 93° Annual average rainfall 50 inches Flooding The ravages of Hurricane Katrina made it painfully clear that the low-lying coastal regions of Louisiana are highly vulnerable to flooding. At present, the Caddo Parish Flood Control Section is tasked with maintaining stormwater drainage facilities pursuant to 1.

Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) guidelines based on the following objectives: Promote awareness of floodplain management issues 2. Administer and enforce the Floodplain Ordinances for Caddo Parish 3. Address storm-water and drainage issues in new development 4. Seek solutions to existing flood problems. 5. Provide assistance where possible to inquiries relating to flood control and drainage issues (Parish Departments, 2011, para. 5). Earthquake Three recent magnitude 5+ earthquakes in the region emphasize that vulnerability of the part of the country to earthquakes in the future.

Explosion/volcano Oil and gas refining facilities in the region pose an ongoing threat of explosion, but there are no volcanoes in the region. Severe weather conditions Frequent, particularly during hurricane season. To what extent are vital community structures likely to withstand a disaster? Communications still pose a problem and FEMA continues to assess ways to improve the Caddo Parish infrastructure.

What is the potential for toxic exposures? Given the proximity to oil and gas refining facilities in Shreveport, some of which are more than 100 years old, the potential for toxic exposures is significant. Sociocultural Considerations Are community members able to work together for disaster planning? The Parish Commission recently created an Intergovernmental Consortium to help coordinate departmental activities (Annual report, 2007).

Health System Considerations How well prepared are health service agencies to respond to a disaster? The Caddo Parish Commission Parish Administrator and CEO, Woodrow Wilson, Jr., routinely conducts biweekly meetings with health service agency directors to coordinate services and initiatives (Wilson, 2011). What facilities are available? The following facilities are available in Caddo Parish: 1. Caddo-Shreveport Health Unit (1035 Creswell Street); 2. North Caddo Parish Health Unit (102 Industrial, Vivian, LA); 3. Shreveport Regional Laboratory (533 Vine Street); 4. Caddo Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic (1031 Creswell); 5. Environmental Health Services Center (1033 Creswell).

Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory What is the extent of water pollution? What pollutants are involved? According to the Parish's annual report, "Remaining at the top of the list are the challenges that we face with the Wilcox 1 Aquifer, which is the primary ground water source for potable water for area residents in the rural parts of the Parish" (2007, p. 7). On August 19, 2011, a temporary ground water emergency was declared for Caddo Parish (Order No. Env 2011-GW-014) that warned of aquifer depletion in the area as a result of the ongoing drought.

Because many of the rural residents in the region depend on the same aquifer supplies using wells that pre-date 1985, it has been difficult to assess the impact of this drought on concentration of pollutants for these consumers (Order No. Env 2011-GW -- 014, 2011).

Currently, some communities are experiencing a lack of safe drinking water and the Parish Commission has collaborated with researchers at Louisiana State University to assess potable ground water sources for quality and quantity in five test wells but the results of these analyses have not yet been published (Annual report, 2007). Do local weather conditions pose health hazards? Are there drowning hazards? Yes.

Do wild animals in the area serve as reservoirs for disease? Rodents and mosquitoes represent a major health threat for many of the rural residents in Caddo Parish and require ongoing abatement programs (Parish Departments, 2011). The Parish's 2010 annual report notes that a Mosquito Control Facility together with research of diseases and viruses related to mosquitoes and rodents have been installed. Do stray animals pose a safety or health hazard in the neighborhood? This problem appears to be improving.

The Parish Commission has made spay/neuter initiatives a high priority and the number of euthanized animals has dropped significantly (Annual report, 2007). More recently, animal control staff responded to almost 10,000 citizen complaints concerning strays (Annual report, 2010).

Safety Hazards in the Sociocultural Environment Caddo Parish has a long history of racial unrest dating to the early 19th century (Vandal, 1998), and as late as mid-20th century, some blacks were still held in virtual bonded servitude by white land owners throughout the parish and black were routinely denied access to educational resources (De Jong, 2002).

It should be noted, though, that the affirmative action efforts that were used to address longstanding educational access in the parish have resulted in some "reverse discrimination" lawsuits that have highlighted the emerging "race neutral" position of the Caddo Parish school board (Recent decisions -- primary and secondary education, 2005). The number of juvenile offenders in the Caddo Parish Detention Center was reduction from an average of 48 in 2006 to 38 on average in 2007 (Annual report, 2007).

To its credit, the Parish has targeted youth offenders and substance abuse through a number of innovative approaches, including a restorative justice diversion program and misdemeanor and truancy referral center operated by the District Attorney's Office; in addition, the Parish maintains a Family Drug Court to help reduce the incidence of substance abuse in the area and the Parish recently received a $50,000.00 grant to staff a person for the Family Drug Court (Annual report, 2007). More recently, a Juvenile Services Mental Health Out-Patient treatment Center has also been installed (Annual report, 2010).

Interpret the collected data using concepts of epidemiology (e.g., birth rate, death rate). As can be seen from the data presented in Table 8 below, the percentage of infants receiving prenatal care within the first 3 months of life is lower in Caddo Parish than the state and national rates (81.0% versus 83.8% and 83.7%, respectively) and the infant mortality rate in Caddo Parish (13.5% per 1,000 births) is substantially higher than the corresponding rate for the State of Louisiana (10.2%) and the United States (7.0%). Likewise, the venereal disease rates experienced (except for.