How Healthy is Your County?

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For the first time, that question can be answered in every county in the US. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute have put together the 2010 County Health Rankings, a collection of 50 reports that reflect the overall health of counties in every state.

The study looks at the health outcomes and health factors of each county. Health outcomes represent how healthy a county is, based on measures of mortality and morbidity. Health factors are what influences the health of the county, including health behaviors, clinical care, and social, economic, and physical environment factors.

In Pennsylvania, Philadelphia ranked the lowest, 67th, while Chester County was number 1, making it the healthiest county in Pennsylvania according to the study.

While this report shows where counties may be able to improve their services and health outcomes, it also shows that everywhere people need better access to health care. Even in Chester County, which was ranked the healthiest county in Pennsylvania, 13 percent of the adult population was without health care.

Contact your members of Congress and tell them just how much we need health care reform. To see how one group is having an impact by marching from Philadelphia to DC to show their support for health care reform visit March to the Finish Line for Melanie to follow their progress and learn about events.

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