About four in 10 residents in Central Texas say they or someone in their household has skipped or postponed needed medical care since the pandemic began and almost all of them say they skipped preventive care. Those are just some of the findings from Episcopal Health Foundation’s survey on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across five Central Texas counties. The survey was co-sponsored by St. David’s Foundation.

Researchers surveyed people across Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties and found residents were more likely to skip or postpone medical care that those living in other areas of the state. The survey finds that 44% say they or someone in their household skipped or postponed some type of medical care due to COVID-19. That’s compared to statewide survey results that showed about two thirds (36%) of the rest of Texas said they skipped some kind of care.