Dohyeong Kim, associate dean of graduate education and public policy professor at The University of Texas at Dallas, said low-income communities, such as the 75243 ZIP code, are often exposed to negative factors, such as high stress and violent crime, that can lead to poor long-term health. At the same time, they lack the resources to combat those factors on their own.
“Education, income, employment, housing, health care: those five things are really circular,” Kim said. “Good education leads to a good job; a good job leads to a good income; a good income leads to a good environment and also access to health care.”