Today in Henderson County 44.5% of all children are on Medicaid and NC Health Choice, and 44.7% of all children have private health insurance. More and more young families in our county's labor force, particularly from the service sector, are coming to Social Services for health care assistance and child support. We expect these will be growing numbers with the rising cost of health care costs and private insurance becomes even more scarce.
Another factor in children's social work services such as Child Protective Services, is lack of other community resources for families, teachers, and other concerned people to turn to for help. The state's fiscal situation, stock market decline, and related economic situations have cut back resource development and availability for families.