Lubbock Public Health spent nearly a year gathering input from 2,100 residents, producing a hefty Community Health Needs Assessment that basically says: people can’t afford doctors, mental health care is a mess, chronic diseases are rampant, STIs are through the roof, and East Lubbock still looks like it got left off the city’s grocery store map. In short: no surprises, just depressing data with citations.
The plan (CHIP) doesn’t even ask the city to cough up money—it’s more like, “Here’s where we’re failing, maybe let’s fix it with partnerships and grants.” But at December’s council meeting, some members clutched their pearls over scary words like “comprehensive care” and “expansion,” insisting that the health department should stick to… what exactly? Handing out pamphlets and hoping for the best?
Meanwhile, public health director Katherine Wells tried to explain that the point isn’t to build Whole Foods on East 50th but to actually coordinate the community to improve outcomes. Imagine that—city leadership doing something proactive instead of reactive.
Of course, whether council votes “yes” or “no,” one thing remains constant: your odds of catching syphilis in Lubbock are still way higher than finding a grocery store east of I-27.
