[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6646105,"mediaKeyId","3409790-1291b23c837303f18edb9f6938cdf79d","parentId",3409790,"title","Parkland previews 2025 community health needs assessment; cites mental health, access gaps for Dallas seniors","audioSeconds",4234,"startMs",172000,"endMs",4406000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3409790-1291b23c837303f18edb9f6938cdf79d&start=172&end=4406","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3409790-1291b23c837303f18edb9f6938cdf79d/thumbnail_172000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6646105/Dallas/Dallas-County/Texas/Parkland-previews-2025-community-health-needs-assessment-cites-mental-health-access-gaps-for-Dallas-seniors","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6646105-5caeb1cf799812d57653055eee90b8fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1775118380&Signature=OrSeb91zlGdZ0EJfwyy1jyEHpwh4P9t7aLjXn3gFCVY06GbO7MPZmr5baLntcSsvTpyWvxMlnm7eQk9xMZBat10MxoWnS-Nfg1H-jPu7hcDFxYjyNoJc7Lku9PM-MlAMGXb0s6O8IYK81Ww2Fge-K6wX25wMc5CLSU7Rh1lwdUKzDXDErerjcBEnEwAHd2Z0yxkUr171mxBodUZH5cja8f8JlZm5Jr2Q6iEfgbLZ0iaNyYIzRWBacN~PMLeBKR-aD-MdTeb13H9GrJKjTFS6TTS-pJLSbfAyh7LInPBfS45unqagPMzIow7gC2Y7ZxvO7~bszyWC99ZuQmudt~bFTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dallas","date","2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","article","Parkland Health gave the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission a preview of its 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment on issues affecting older adults, saying the report — required every three years under the Affordable Care Act — will be finalized after board review and production later this year.

\"We are required to define the community we serve, which in Parkland's case, it's very simple as we only serve Dallas County,\" said Teresita Oates, a Parkland Health official who presented the draft findings and methods. Oates described a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology that includes federal and state public‑health data sets, Parkland clinical registries and more than two dozen focus groups.

Why it matters: Parkland told commissioners the preliminary analysis shows concentrated disparities — higher uninsured rates, fewer primary care providers and higher area deprivation — in parts of southeast Dallas and the south side of I‑30. Those geographic disparities translate to wide differences in life expectancy: one ZIP code shown in Parkland's analysis had a life expectancy near 90 years while another five miles away was about 68, a gap the presenter said was 22 years.

Parkland said the assessment is still in progress and that the final report will be presented to its board before public release; Oates said production and board review push the expected public release into late December. She said Parkland has collected ‘‘more than 2,000 responses’’ to an online survey and has held roughly 30 focus groups to supplement administrative data.

The presentation highlighted several recurring findings relevant to seniors: increases in reported poor mental health among people 65 and older; persistent burdens from chronic disease (heart disease and cancer remain leading causes of death); and clusters of social needs tied to transportation, food access and mortgage forbearance in certain ZIP codes. Oates said Parkland’s internal registries show multiple chronic conditions (for example, combinations of diabetes, hypertension and obesity) are common among older patients.

Parkland described programs that target older adults, including a central geriatrics outpatient location, six additional geriatric service sites, a senior house calls program for homebound patients and a senior outreach program funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services that includes transportation in selected ZIP codes. Oates said some ZIP codes that the CHNA flags for intensified outreach also show high rates of households without vehicles, amplifying access barriers.

Commissioners pressed for detail on geographic coverage and service placement. Debbie Austin, commissioner for District 8, raised specific ZIP‑code questions and asked why some areas near existing clinics did not appear to be included in Parkland’s targeted ZIP list. Austin also argued for stronger representation from residents of lower‑income neighborhoods when Parkland and city committees make program decisions. \"If you don't live in the community that you're representing, you don't know what the challenges are for that community,\" she said.

Parkland responded that its community relations team and a network of community health workers are explicitly used to reach hard‑to‑access populations; Oates said Parkland hires community health workers from the communities they serve and partners with county public‑health staff, faith organizations, food banks and community‑based groups to run smaller, locally based events and hubs that offer screenings, linkage to care and, in some locations, virtual‑care booths.

Parkland also discussed analytic limitations: Oates said some measures such as updated life‑expectancy estimates face data lags and additional coordination with county analysts. She referenced national and state work on diabetes and mental‑health trends — for example, literature cited by Parkland pointing to a worsening national diabetes burden — as context for local forecasts.

The commission and Parkland agreed Parkland will provide links and the final report when complete; Oates said the implementation plan that accompanies the CHNA will identify activities and metrics Parkland will use to track progress.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the CHNA presentation; commissioners requested the final report and supporting data be distributed to the full commission when available.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dallas - Senior Affairs Commission - May 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Parkland Health gave the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission a preview of its 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment on issues affecting older adults, saying the report — required every three years under the Affordable Care Act — will be finalized after board review and production later this year.","taxTitle","Dallas, Dallas County, Texas","taxId",2781,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6646101,"Dallas Senior Affairs Commission approves annual funding priorities memo amid calls to emphasize outreach and dental care",1281,4395000,5676000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3409790-1291b23c837303f18edb9f6938cdf79d&start=4395&end=5676","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3409790-1291b23c837303f18edb9f6938cdf79d/thumbnail_4395000.jpg","/articles/6646101/Dallas/Dallas-County/Texas/Dallas-Senior-Affairs-Commission-approves-annual-funding-priorities-memo-amid-calls-to-emphasize-outreach-and-dental-care","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6646101-5ea95c27876281e92f948124f59492e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775118380&Signature=jMd-DHGOvdVi3qEoixx84WHtqdZPp-EQVmbo8GkVgq7jbju0q-rypWx91sLjLwFQ3ITW7XqQG-hb5GMmfsd4jqc-6OcMdcFz-VvMnSJ-7hDuJnkUOVuvfUVD4R4UGQg9XNADf2s0v0XnClTEy1QUWcOPUd~PgYfbdyT7Y2F9kdy7AGIXKVB~MzaRKTB9~jx3Ng5QF9ECfChMnjC09IKxttwWNSf4fcdDPFTTEy-M9WcbMyCHX2eXK7N3NsqR8OEyrQKSv7xXwMPBAYbiKwf9Ezb5-nmLHXPm3QX0W2KArzZp4WzW4MRRYooQRDNe5sSVm1Ak3tNeCn52unSlsdBx-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Dallas Senior Affairs Commission voted to approve its annual funding priorities memorandum to city leadership after a period of discussion about outreach, representation and service gaps.

The memo, drafted over roughly three and a half months, was presented by commission staff and a subcommittee that included Commissioners Tyson, Williams and Jarvis, the presenter said. Staff said the draft was circulated to commissioners about 10 days before the meeting and a revised edition with updated data was distributed the prior Friday.

Commissioners discussed the memo against the backdrop of ongoing city budget pressures tied to recently passed charter amendments and an upcoming city strategic plan. Several commissioners urged the priorities memo to emphasize outreach to the city’s most underserved seniors, especially in southeast Dallas, and to ensure that staff hires and program recommendations reflect varied community needs.

Debbie Austin, commissioner for District 8, urged more community representation in commissions and noted a view echoed by others that commissioners who do not live in low‑income neighborhoods may not fully understand conditions there. \"If you don't live in the community that you're representing, you don't know what the challenges are for that community,\" Austin said.

Several commissioners and staff also raised dental access as a priority concern. Commission members noted that a city‑funded dental clinic serving seniors had faced funding uncertainty and urged the commission's memo to press for influence to preserve senior dental services; the memo includes language requesting city outreach on senior dental care and related supports.

A motion to approve the memorandum was made and seconded; the commission called the vote and recorded ayes. The meeting transcript does not provide a complete roll‑call tally in named votes; commissioners present voiced support and the chair declared the memorandum approved.

Commissioners asked that the memo be distributed to all city council members and that the memo’s statistics be shared with partner groups. Several speakers noted Parkland Health’s presentation earlier in the meeting and the importance of aligning outreach and data collection across agencies. Staff said the city's strategic plan — expected soon — should further inform implementation choices raised by the funding memo.

The commission also discussed procedural and formatting items, including a suggestion to list all commissioners and their district affiliations in the signature block of the memo, and emphasized a need to reach seniors lacking high‑speed internet access when designing outreach.

The vote to approve the funding priorities memorandum concluded the item; commissioners moved on to staff updates and community event announcements.","The Senior Affairs Commission voted to approve its annual funding priorities memorandum to city leadership. Commissioners urged stronger outreach to high‑need neighborhoods, attention to food access and dental care, and inclusion of diverse community voices as the city faces charter‑driven budget pressures.","actionData","errors"]

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Parkland previews 2025 community health needs assessment; cites mental health, access gaps for Dallas seniors

Dallas Senior Affairs Commission approves annual funding priorities memo amid calls to emphasize outreach and dental care