Are Statewide Disability Statistics for Utah Fully Up-to-Date?

I am very glad I wrote and sent this friendly follow-up letter today to Utah State Senator Michael S. Kennedy and Utah State Representative Ken Ivory:

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "mkennedy@le.utah.gov" <mkennedy@le.utah.gov>, "kivory@le.utah.gov" <kivory@le.utah.gov>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "Him-roi" <him-roi@umail.utah.edu>, "Utah Hospital Association 2021" <jill@utahhospitals.org>, "Utah Medical Association 2021" <info@utahmed.org>, "Mayor Wilson" <mayor@slco.org>, "llstringham@slco.org" <llstringham@slco.org>, "Adult Protective UT Supvr Chad Hansen" <cbhanse@utah.gov>, "suharrison@slco.org" <suharrison@slco.org>, "County Council Member Bradshaw" <arbradshaw@slco.org>, "Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall 2021" <mayor@slcgov.com>, "ana.valdemoros@slcgov.com" <ana.valdemoros@slcgov.com>, "communications@utahbar.org" <communications@utahbar.org>, "chad.atkinson" <chad.atkinson@slcgov.com>, "mike.brown" <mike.brown@slcgov.com>, "Utah Apartment Association 2022" <info@uaahq.org>, "jsweeney@sltrib.com" <jsweeney@sltrib.com>, "Jennifer Gardiner" <jgardiner@abc4.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "Utah Peace Officers Association 2022" <homeupoa@gmail.com>, "Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jen Dailey-Provost" <jdprovost@le.utah.gov>, "UT_Webmanager" <ut_webmanager@hud.gov>, "Utah Republican Party" <info@utgop.org>, "Utah Democrats" <mail@utdem.org>, "Univ of Utah Criminology Dir. Heather Melton" <heather.melton@soc.utah.edu>, "Schools Utah Webmaster" <webmaster@schools.utah.gov>, "Utah League of Cities and Towns 2022" <swood@ulct.org>, "Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson 2021" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "Crimevictims GV" <crimevictims@utah.gov>, "Joe Dougherty (DHHS)" <joedougherty@utah.gov>, "kriebe@le.utah.gov" <kriebe@le.utah.gov>, "Patient Feedback" <patientfeedback@imail.org>, "Joel_wellum" <joel_wellum@lee.senate.gov>, "Internships" <internships@romney.senate.gov>

Sent: Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 9:23 PM

Subject: 11-17-23 Are UT Disability Statistics Fully Up-to-Date?

November 17, 2023

Dear Utah Legislature Health and Human Services Interim Committee 2023 Co-Chairs Senator Michael S. Kennedy and State Representative Ken Ivory,

This is a friendly follow-up note to the letter I sent yesterday to  each of you Very Honorable Co-Chairmen and your other very influential Interim Committee members.

Earlier this month during my leisuretime I reviewed a current  online report---a report  (please see farther below) relying on 2021 statewide disability statistics ---- at the official website of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services state agency. 

I would like to respectfully ask each of you  co-chairmen  if either of you believes that the Utah-wide  disability statistics from 2021----very grim data for many of us---may actually underestimate the severity of the current disability crisis in Utah of today?

If so, do you also believe there is an urgent need for a State of Utah-funded study to update for November or December of 2023 the full range of disability statistics for Utah?

I am respectfully  posing these questions to you Honorable Co-Chairs  for numerous reasons:

(1) The number of homeless persons in Utah---many of them refugees from other  U.S. states who have major or disabling medical problems----has apparently increased dramatically in the period ever since January 2021.

(2) Current estimates on the total  number of homeless persons in Utah underestimate the actual  total statewide   number of homeless persons in our state.

(3) An influx since January 2021  of thousands of homeless persons and other new residents into Utah from other states and foreign nations  who each  have violent criminal conviction records, has apparently occurred at an abnormally high rate in the time  period since January 2021.

(4)The possible  dramatic increase ever since January 2021  in the number of Utahns who have a criminal background history of committing one or more violent crimes may put themselves, members of their own household, and  other Utah residents at increased risk of being injured by violent crimes.

(5) The percentage of Utah residents owning guns has increased significantly in the last two years, and the presence of one or more guns inside a home in Utah  increases the risk of accidental or deliberate gun-related injuries to members of that Utahn household and to  others.

Particularly in view of recent dramatic demographic changes here in Utah, are the State Government of Utah-sponsored disability-prevention  and sports-injury prevention and  accident-prevention and suicide-prevention programs here in our state as helpful and  successful as they can possibly be?

These exactly quoted statistics from 2021 at the official website of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services state agency  will provide you with very sobering factual information:

"Almost one in every four Utah adults reports having one or more disabilities. A disability can occur at any age and most people will experience a disability at some point in their life.

"The most commonly reported disability in 2021 among Utah adults was cognitive (12.9%), which means the person has difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. Mobility disability was the second most commonly reported disability (9.2%), followed by independent living disability (i.e. inability to drive oneself to doctor appointments or run errands alone, 6.6%), difficulty hearing/deaf (5.6%), difficulty seeing/blind (3.2%), and inability to care for oneself such as dressing and bathing (i.e. self-care disability, 2.4%).

"The likelihood of having a disability varies with social circumstances and geographic location. Hispanic adults (28.5%) were more likely than non-Hispanic adults to have a disability (22.9%). American Indian/Alaskan Native adults had the highest disability rates compared to other races. Lower incomes are correlated to higher disability rates. Among Utah adults, 44.6% of those that made less than $25,000 a year had a disability compared to only 15.3% of those that made more than $75,000 a year....

"...within Salt Lake County, 31.7% of adults in Kearns reported having a disability..."

"Lastly, overall disability rates increase with age. Adults 65 years and older are much more likely to report having one or more disabilities. Among adults aged 18 to 34 and 35 to 49, women were significantly more likely than men to have a disability."

Interim Committee Co-chairmen Michael S. Kennedy and Ken Ivory, I hope this follow-up letter proves to be helpful to your legislative committee.

I would welcome any reply letter that either of you or other members of your Interim Committee are willing to offer me.

Sincerely and Best Wishes,

permanent Utahn resident John Kevin McMillan, 535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.

My home phone: (801) 355-0850.

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