Lincoln County ranked number one in overall health outcomes, and number six in health factors, according to the annual county health rankings released this month by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Institute.
The full rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
The report was made public by the Office of Communications, Southern Nevada Health District, as presented at a community event March 19, along with representatives from the University of Nevada, Reno’s Nevada Public Health Training Center and Representative Susie Lee.
Lincoln County, with a population of a little over 5,200, ranked number one in Nevada in quality of life and number three in length of life. Pershing County was number one in length of life, and Douglas County ranked number two.
Fifteen of the 17 Nevada counties were studied in these particular categories and others. Eureka and Esmeralda counties were not ranked.
The report noted, “The county rankings provide an easy-to-use snapshot of local health data that demonstrate where people live influences how well they live and how long they live. The Rankings allow each state to see how its counties compare on a range of factors that influence health including education, housing, jobs, smoking, access to healthy foods, and more. This year’s Rankings State Reports show stark differences across and within counties in the opportunity to afford a home, especially for those with low incomes and people of color. This year’s analyses show that a lack of opportunity for a safe, secure, and affordable home is tied to poor health.”
The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R), done on a national basis, brings actionable data, evidence, guidance and stories to communities to make it easier for people to be healthy in their neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. Ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, CHR&R illustrates what is known when it comes to what is keeping people healthy or making them sick and shows what can be done to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play.
Dr. Joe Iser, Chief Health Officer of the Southern Nevada Health District, said, “The rankings are another tool we can use to assure our programs are meeting the needs of our community. Using this information, we can assess our programs and policies to make sure they are addressing areas of concern in our community and better align our services and programs as appropriate.”
The rankings call attention to opportunities to improve the health of the community and serve as a call-to-action. The health district works with its governing board, the Southern Nevada District Board of Health and community partners on programs and initiatives that impact areas addressed by the rankings.
Dr. Iser added, “These findings demonstrate the need to invest more resources into public health and into raising the health status of our community.
We see persistent health gaps that exist based on well-identified health factors. We cannot fully address any of these issues without addressing the full range of challenges that keep people from leading healthy lives.”
