APPALACHIA - THE VALLEY OF POVERTYWorkfest 2015

The Appalachian region of the United States, while abundant in natural

resources and rich in potential, lags behind the rest of the Nation... its

people have not shared properly in the Nation's prosperity.

“ “-United States Code Title 40 Subtitle IV

a definition... CHRONIC POVERTY IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION

Chronic poverty is defined as a phenomenon whereby an individual or group is in a state of poverty over an extended period of time.

Those in a state of chronic poverty are often trapped in the state their entire lives and more times than not, pass it along to their children as well.

Chronic poverty affects all future possibilities of financial stability.

● “Appalachia’s history of poverty extends far beyond the time when Obama supposedly declared a war on coal and extends also beyond the time when LBJ declared a War on Poverty with the Appalachian region the poster child for American poverty.”(The Great White Ghetto)

● The first settlers were stubborn, and that attitude continued while the rest of America was developing. Improvement did not easily make its way into the area due to the isolated mindset of the people who lived there. The people also did not make education a high priority, so having a population with less education contributed to the lack of better jobs in the region. The combination of these put Appalachia behind the rest of the nation and the state.

● In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced a War on Poverty. This was a series of programs aimed at mending and preventing poverty, and some of them have stuck around today (Medicare/Medicaid, food stamps). However, the area in question is still highly impoverished and the programs were not as effective as possible.

History of Poverty in Appalachia

History of Poverty in Appalachia Continued...

● Since President Johnson’s visit in 1964, the region has been known for being poor and impoverished

● “The entire regional economy is in shambles”

● “We became kind of the poster child for the war on poverty, and any time somebody wanted to do a story on poor people, we were the first stop.” - Lee Mueller

● All of the negative media and attention has hurt the morale of some of the people of Appalachia.○ “One of the last few groups that it’s still politically correct to make fun of”

● People often don’t find themselves to be “poor”○ No rich people around to show them otherwise○ Find themselves rich in other things, such as family and faith

CAUSES OF POVERTY IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION

● Lack of job opportunities: industries do not see this region as profitable due to the widespread poverty, but the way to get the economy moving is to bring in businesses to the area.

● Lack of public services: these rural communities do not have the money to fund improvements to the area, leading to companies not wanting to invest.

● Rural environment: internet and telephone services are two resources that are preventing further advancement of the area because the services are not adequately available to the residents.

● Health hazards: poor water quality, coal mining (affecting the lungs), drug abuse, and unequal distribution and access to health care all contribute to the overall poor health of the region.

● All of these causes are interconnected, so it is difficult to maneuver the region out of this situation.

MORE CAUSES...

● A lack of money from government funding and a lack of income for residents in this area.

● Cultural Boundaries● Distance● Mountain Dew- Number one cause in tooth

decay; number one area for toothlessness (General Dentistry 2013)

Relative Poverty Rates in Appalachia

1980 2008-2012

www.arc.gov

Relative High School Completion Rates in Appalachia

1980 2008-2012

www.arc.gov

FY 2002 FY 2015

County Economic Status in Appalachia

www.arc.gov

● Higher rates of depression/anxiety● Higher drug use rates● Higher Infant mortality/overall death rate● Lower rates of higher education

EFFECTS OF POVERTY

MENTAL HEALTH IN APPALACHIA

● One of three residents in the Huntington-Ashland, W. Virginia-Ky-Ohio metropolitan area have been diagnosed with depression, much higher than the national lifetime risk of 17%. (Crabtree)

● Of the metropolitan areas where residents are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, 6 out of the 11 areas surveyed are in the Appalachian region. (Crabtree)

● Only 57.3% of residents in West Virginia felt active and productive every day for the past week, lower than the national average of 67.9%. (Gallup)

● In 2014, West Virginia and Kentucky scored the lowest of the 50 states on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, with scores of 59.0 and 59.8 (respectively) compared to the national average of 61.6. (Gallup)

DRUG USE IN APPALACHIA

● Coal Mining Decline has caused the family income to drop below $22,000 annually

● Prescription drugs, mostly OxyContin have been marketed to Drs in this region because of the chronic pain many coal miners suffered

● The rate of fatal overdose here is 8 times higher than the national average

● “I have my 3 grandchildren. They are ten, seven, and four, and I’m pretty much doing it by myself. My daughter is currently in prison for drug trafficking. And I have five children living. We had two that have already passed from drugs…two that committed suicide on drugs.” ( Basta Et Al 2013)

HEALTH & WELL-BEING IN APPALACHIA A higher proportion of Appalachian adults report serious psychological distress and major depressive disorders than do the average American adult. These problems are independent of drug abuse. In Appalachia, 13.5% of adults have encountered a problem with serious psychological distress compared to 11.6% nationally.

The picture of substance use and mental health concerns among Appalachian adolescents becomes even clearer when analyses are conducted by county economic status level, suggesting that economic status plays a key role in mental health and substance abuse issues.

ISSUES WITH HEALTH CARE

● Many residents are unable to access health care

● There is a widespread lack of preventative health care and a lack of knowledge about health care

● Some counties have no hospitals nor other essential health care facilities

● There is little information on health care issues because these topics are usually tracked through government programs

● Folk remedies are common in this area

A NEVER ENDING CYCLE

The more serious problem surrounding these issues is that they tend to occur in a cycle. The lack of education results in a lack of employment opportunities, which causes poverty. For many residents, this leads to depression and drug use, which ultimately pulls another generation into the same cycle.

Many residents say they are rich in things that are not included in official measures of poverty, and that the stigma and stereotypes of Appalachia can be almost as bad as the poverty itself.

“Please don’t portray us as ignorant hill folk. We are educated. We’re poor, but we’re educated, and everyone’s pretty proud. It’s not a desolate place where no hope can be found.”

In Appalachia, Poverty is in the Eye of the Beholder

The violent crime rate is considerably lower than the national average. There is a small but dedicated professional class in the mountain communities. The remaining miners and blue collar workers - many of whom are “working poor.”

These people are dedicated to their families, communities, and places of worship

POVERTY & SOCIETY

A HOPEFUL FUTURE FOR THE APPALACHIAN REGIONLooking Forward...

President Obama announced that 8 counties in southeast Kentucky would now comprise 1 of the 5 new “Promise Zones” which, while not providing new funds, grants these counties higher priority for existing federal funds and federal assistance in accessing these opportunities. (2014)http://appvoices.org/2014/01/08/the-war-on-poverty-at-50/

“There is a noticeable defeatism in the Appalachian spirit, as well as a tendency of those outside the region to look at is as an impossibly lost cause.”Would we be so willing to write off Appalachia as a “great white ghetto” if we considered it more akin to a depressed city like Detroit or to a foreign third-world country?

Comparing Appalachia to UsAccording to the United States Census Bureau (2010)

Cincinnati Harlan County, KY Lee County, VA

Persons Below Poverty Level 30.4% 31.3% 26.8%

Median Household Income $34,116 $25,906 $31,308

Per Capita $ Income in Past 12 Months $24,779 $16,257 $16,664

Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units

$123,600 $52,000 $74,300

Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 31.5% 10.6% 11.7%

WORKS CITED

Anderson, John. "'Mountain Dew Mouth' Is Wrecking Havoc in Appalachia."NaturalNews. Natural News, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

Bishop, Bill. "As Poverty Worsens in Appalachia, So Do Drug Abuse and Depression | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural." As Poverty Worsens in Appalachia, So Do Drug Abuse and Depression | Daily Yonder | Keep It Rural. Daily Yonder, 14 Aug. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.Crabtree, Steven. “Appalachia: America’s Low-Energy Zone.” Gallup. Gallup, 3 August 2011. Web. 2015.Fessler, P. (2014, January 18). In Appalachia, Poverty is in the Eye of the Beholder.“State of the States.” Gallup. Gallup, 2014. Web. 2015.Sodomick, Karen. "Fighting Addiction in Appalachia." Addiction in Appalachia: A Problem Too Dire to Ignore. Phoenix House, 29 Apr. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.State and County QuickFacts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.govTania B. Basta, Ph.d., Mph, Ches, Associate Director, Appalachian Rural Health Institute, Ohio University, and Ph.d. Lindsay J. Della. Perceptions of Drug Abuse among Residents in Rural Eastern Appalachian Kentucky (n.d.): n. pag. CCTS. University of Louisville, 2013. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.“What Are the Causes of Poverty in Appalachia?” Wisegeek. Conjecture Corporation, n.d. Web. 2003--2015.