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Nassau health officer: 41% of households are ALICE; county to pursue rural-health grant and improvement plan
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Summary
Health Officer Kara Glueck presented a community health assessment showing 41% ALICE households, gaps in mental-health access and below-target screening rates; she said workgroups begin March 10 and an improvement plan is expected by July 1, and noted state rural-health transformation funds available to eligible counties.
Kara Glueck, health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Nassau County, told the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 23 that a recent community health assessment highlighted affordability and access challenges: 41 percent of Nassau households fit the ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) criteria, 36 percent of renters spend more than 30 percent of income on housing, and about 67 percent of eligible residents receive colorectal cancer screening — below Healthy People 2030 goals.
Glueck said the county received more than 5,000 survey responses and combined that public input with community status assessments and stakeholder interviews. “We were able to receive over 5,000 public responses,” she said, and noted the data show a particular mental-health access gap for adolescents after a local adolescent provider left the county in the past year.
Her presentation identified priorities including transportation and mobile services, preventative screenings, and mental-health capacity. Glueck told commissioners the county convened an executive working group with local health systems, EMS and providers (UF, HCA, Baptist/Barnabas and Starting Point) and that the Nassau County Coalition for Community Health will convene workgroups beginning March 10. The county aims to finalize a community health improvement plan by July 1.
Glueck also described a statewide Agency for Health Care Administration initiative tied to recent legislation: she said Florida was awarded $209 million for rural health transformation and that the Northeast region’s allocation is about $85.5 million; counties must meet rural designation criteria to be eligible for specific funds. Commissioners praised Glueck’s outreach and the health department’s partnership-building.
What commissioners asked for: Commissioner Martin asked for the precise ALICE criteria; Glueck agreed to provide the numeric thresholds and additional documentation to the board. Commissioners also emphasized the need to coordinate mobile services and community partners.
What happens next: The county will convene the workgroups, draft an improvement plan for fiscal-year implementation, and explore competitive grant applications when the Agency for Health Care Administration issues the request for applications.
