LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new report on health in counties across the United States has ranked Lake County next to last in the state of California due to high mortality, poverty and poor health behaviors.
The 2013 County Health Rankings, now in their fourth year, are conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
The rankings, which are based on the latest publicly available data, are online at www.countyhealthrankings.org .
The County Health Rankings examine 25 factors that influence health, including rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity, and percentages of children living in single parent households.
For Lake County, the rankings have typically put the area on the lower end of the state in terms of health outcomes, but for 2013 Lake County is shown at No. 57 out of 58 counties, with Alpine County receiving no rank.
Lake County Public Health Office Dr. Karen Tait reviewed the findings, noting that the rankings’ organizers changed some of the measures this year. “I think that might affect it a little bit,” she said of the ranking change, also noting wide margins of error.
“We clearly have our challenges, there’s no question about that,” she said.
Lake’s rate of premature death is nearly twice that of the state, with high rates of adult smoking, obesity and drinking, according to the rankings.
The teen birth rate also is above the state average, the report showed.
The motor vehicle crash death rate is 26, more than two and a half times the state rate of 10, according to the data.
Regarding clinical care, the rankings showed that Lake County residents’ access to primary care physicians equaled one doctor for every 1,799 residents, compared to one for every 1,341 residents on average statewide and the national benchmark of 1,067 residents to one physician, the report showed.
For dentists, the picture was worse in Lake County, with the rankings showing 2,634 residents to every one dentist, compared to 1,417 residents to one dentist statewide. The national benchmark is 1,516 residents to one dentist.
Preventable hospital stays for Lake County residents were shown to be higher in the report, while diabetic screenings were the same as the state average, but mammography screening was less frequent than statewide.
Even though employment is increasing, there is still a high number of children in poverty, with the data also showing increases in violent crime, Tait pointed out.
Lake County did receive good marks for its physical environment, and the rankings also found that Lake’s high school graduation rate is better than the state average, although the number of residents with a college education falls short of the state average.
Tait said many of the health concerns Lake County has arise from lifestyle issues, such as smoking and drinking.
“We’ve just consistently had high smoking rates, and I think they’re getting worse,” she said.
She said she finds the rate of smoking particularly shocking, since people are aware of the risks. Heavy drinking also has gotten worse, she added.
Tait and the Lake County Health Services Department are now embarking on a “Climb to the Peak of Health” public awareness campaign, which urges people to take steps to begin chipping away at their personal health issues.
“I think we know that the biggest factor in good health relates to lifestyle,” she said.
The update to the county’s health needs assessment also is under way, which will help give local policymakers a better idea of the county’s specific health needs.
Like Tait, other local medical professionals see the issues.
“We recognize there are health challenges in Lake County that contribute to our county health status rankings,” said David Santos, vice president of operations at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake.
In addition to the campaign Tait and the county are undertaking, Santos said there is another effort under way to address those health challenges.
In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake recently was awarded a two-year Community Transformations Grant that will directly address physical activity, nutrition, emotional well-being and smoking cessation in an effort to improve the health status of Lake County, according to Santos.
He said the hospital is working with a community collaborative, led by Susan Jen, to accomplish the grant objectives.
“St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake is committed to advancing the health and wellness of our community members through specific programs like Live Well at the Clearlake Family Health Center,” said Santos. “It is our intention to address the medical needs of every resident through proven and innovative clinical initiatives that will dramatically improve the health status of our county over the next several years.”
In other report findings, Marin was ranked No. 1 statewide for having the best overall outcomes.
Lake’s neighboring counties were ranked as follows: Colusa, No. 8; Glenn. No. 25; Mendocino, No. 43; Napa, No. 24; Sonoma, No. 12; and Yolo, No. 5.
The groups that conduct the rankings noted several new and significant national trends emerging in this year’s data.
Those trends included child poverty rates that have not improved since 2000, with more than one in five children living in poverty.
In addition, violent crime has decreased by almost 50 percent over the past two decades, the report showed.
The counties where people don’t live as long and don’t feel as well mentally or physically have the highest rates of smoking, teen births and physical inactivity, as well as more preventable hospital stays, according to the report.
Teen birth rates are more than twice as high in the least healthy counties than in the healthiest counties, the rankings found.
The rankings showed that residents living in healthier counties are 1.4 times more likely to have access to a doctor and dentist than those in the least healthy counties.
“The County Health Rankings can be put to use right away by leaders in government, business, health care, and every citizen motivated to work together to create a culture of health in their community,” said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF president and chief executive officer. “The rankings are driving innovation, unleashing creativity, and inspiring big changes to improve health in communities large and small throughout the country.”
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