Montgomery County DHHS presents biannual public‑health update: population shifts, chronic disease, rising ER visits for intimate‑partner violence and substance‑

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services delivered its biannual public‑health briefing to the County Council on Oct. 21, outlining demographic changes, health‑care access, chronic‑disease trends, infectious diseases, substance‑use mortality and county program updates.

The presentation, given to the council sitting as the Board of Health, emphasized that Montgomery County remains diverse and growing, with population increases concentrated in ZIP codes including Ashton and Clarksburg and declines in portions of Gaithersburg and Spencerville. County health staff said demographic shifts are driven primarily by migration rather than birth rates.

Data and health access: Dr. Davis (Department of Health and Human Services) summarized data sources and cautioned about multi‑year lags in some records. The county reported that in 2023 about 7% of residents lacked health insurance (compared with 6.3% statewide and 7.9% nationally); Hispanic residents had the highest uninsured rate at roughly 22.4%. The share of residents reporting one or more personal doctors rose to about 85% in 2023, though that remained below state averages and varied by group: Asian residents reported the highest rate of having a primary care provider, and Hispanic residents the lowest.

“Having a primary care provider or usual source of care is a really important protective factor,” county staff said, urging continued emphasis on access and outreach.

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