Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood MSA ranks 13th in Well-Being Index

Another top state ranking has been achieved by the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area, with the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index listing the MSA residents as No. 1 in Texas for being satisfied with their well-being and enjoying the highest quality of life.

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood ranked 13th nationwide in the report from Gallup, the world’s best-known and most respected behavioral science authority and Healthways, the largest well-being management company in the nation.

The index findings are based on more than 350,000 surveys compiled in 2009 Respondents are measured on how they are faring in all aspects of their lives – physically, emotionally, socially and professionally. The experts involved in the index also take a daily pulse of how Americans rate the overall quality of their current lives and outlooks for the future.

All three of the entities in the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood MSA have made – or are in the process of making – great strides in the areas of health and well-being.

Killeen’s Metroplex Hospital has now joined forces with Scott & White Hospital in Temple and is providing complete care for the area. The hospital has recently opened the Sue Mayborn Women’s Center, the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, and the Open MRI . Its Wellness Department hosts annual events such as a 5K run/walk, Lampasas Health Fest and KidFest Health and Safety Fair. The hospital also has quarterly health screenings, immunization clinics and various classes are available in which the community becomes involved.

The Metroplex Wellness Unit takes medical services to people who would not otherwise receive care.
Central Texas College, located adjacent to Metroplex Hospital, is in the process of building a new nursing center which will be shared by Metroplex and Texas A&M University – Central Texas, and Metroplex is erecting a building on the their campus where their specialists along with Scott & White doctors will provide clinical service.

Fort Hood has been designated for a medical center and is in the process of building Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, which has an allocation of $929 million to finance the center. Construction of a women’s center is close to completion and three other clinics are being added to focus on family care, traumatic brain injury and other injuries.

Also significant are the Army post’s Resiliency Campus and the behavioral health campaign to help soldiers and family members with behavioral health issues.
The City of Killeen also is involved with the fitness of its citizens, having recently completed a new recreation and fitness center at Lions Club Park, and, at the same location, a center including fitness equipment, for senior citizens.

The Andy Wells Hike and Bike Trail at the Killeen Community Center is widely used, and plans are under way to extend the trail to the downtown area to provide service to a lower-income area. Another hike and bike trail is planned for Lions Club Park, and at least one city councilman has mentioned the possibilities of a third trail in the western part of the city.
Temple, the second major city in the MSA, also is deeply involved with fitness issues, including the building of trails to serve the entire city. Numerous wellness and fitness programs also are practiced in the city.

The MSA’s ability to maintain a strong economy despite the problems rampant in the nation also has added to the well-being of its citizens. The Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood MSA has been listed as the fifth strongest economic region in the nation, the second ranked region in job creation nationwide, the fifth-best small city for creating jobs and the ninth fastest-growing city in the nation. During the time that other parts of the country were suffering from high unemployment, the MSA’s unemployment rate has remained fairly constant with its historical rate.