Health & wellness
BY SARAH BRAGER
Mental health resources in Spring, Klein tied to economic prosperity, study finds
Carmack coined the term “mental health deserts” after using the concept of food deserts to compare mental health resources in Houston. Their study found communities in ZIP codes with higher incomes and more development had greater mental health care options. “Prosperity should not be the deciding factor on whether a population, a community, is mentally healthy and has access to mental health [care], because they want it,” Carmack said. The map combined data from Psychology Today’s registry of mental health professionals and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Distressed Communities Index, which measures economic prosperity across ZIP codes, the research duo said.
Residents in areas with fewer economic opportunities, such as in portions of the Spring area, are struggling to find mental health care in their communities according to a recent University of Houston study. The study, published Oct. 15, found that even neighboring ZIP codes may have sharp differences in accessibility to mental health resources, as
areas with lower education levels and higher poverty rates had fewer—sometimes zero—licensed mental health professionals. To address the gap, counselors, psychologists and policymakers in the Northwest Houston region are aiming to diversify options and fight barriers such as cost and stigma. UH researchers Damien Kelly and Chakema
Mind
Local zip codes ranked on the DCI
The Distressed Communities Index (DCI) uses Census data including housing vacancy, poverty rate, median income ratio, among others to explore disparities in economic well being.
the gap
77389
DCI rankings:
Prosperous
Comfortable
Mid-tier
At-risk
Distressed
Greater Houston zip codes ranked on the Distressed Communities Index
249
Spring
The UH study included 96 Houston-area ZIP codes, almost half of which were “distressed” on the DCI. ZIP codes with higher DCI rankings
77388
99 TOLL
77379
also had more mental health professionals, per the study. Average licensed mental health professionals per ZIP code
19
Klein
42
77068
18
45
77070
77069
10 7
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
8
N
The local impact
do the things that we need to do as a social being,” she said. “It’s important to address that whenever we can so that it doesn’t translate into something more chronic.” Kelly and Carmack said they’re partnering with Harris County Precinct 4 to explore potential policy solutions, and they expect to release a follow-up report in spring 2026. Find a list of free mental health resources at www.cp4.harriscountytx.gov.
area. She said she was inspired to start her own clinic because she struggled to find local care for her son, who has autism spectrum disorder. Suarez said creating more diverse, holistic mental health options can help people connect with sustainable and accessible care in their own communities. “[Trauma] can get to a point that is really debilitating us and our ability to work, to
The DCI map, last updated with 2023 Census data, ranked several ZIP codes in the Spring and Klein areas as “prosperous.” However, some ZIP codes particularly near Hwy. 249 and Willowbrook, came up as “mid- tier” and “at risk,” with fewer resources than their “prosperous” counterparts. Local psychiatrist Arianne Suarez told Community Impact she opened her clinic, Spring Psychiatry, to fill a service gap in the
19
SPRING - KLEIN EDITION
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