{"id":9384,"date":"2014-04-02T11:13:21","date_gmt":"2014-04-02T15:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=9384"},"modified":"2014-04-02T11:13:21","modified_gmt":"2014-04-02T15:13:21","slug":"more-work-is-needed-to-make-chautauqua-county-a-healthier-place-to-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/more-work-is-needed-to-make-chautauqua-county-a-healthier-place-to-live\/","title":{"rendered":"More Work is Needed to Make Chautauqua County a Healthier Place to Live"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chautauqua<\/a>MAYVILLE – The overall health of people in Chautauqua County is among the poorest in New York State.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s according to a report by the\u00a0University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute<\/strong> and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/strong>, which found that among 62 New York State counties, Chautauqua ranks 54 in the category of Health Outcomes<\/i> and 48 in the category of Health Factors<\/i>. The Health Outcomes<\/i> measure remains the same as 2013, while the Health Factors<\/i> measure improved from last year’s ranking of 49.<\/p>\n

“These rankings emphasize that promoting healthy communities requires that we address the social determinants of health, such as transportation, education, access to healthy food and exercise, behavior choices, economic opportunities, and more,\u201d said Christine Schuyler<\/strong>, County\u2019s Director of Health and Human Services.\u00a0 “I am energized by all of the collaborative efforts that are underway to help us positively impact the health and welfare of all.”<\/p>\n

The Health Outcomes<\/i> category focuses on mortality (death) and morbidity (illness) and looks at factors such as premature death, number of poor physical and mental health days, and occurrence of low birth weight babies. The Health Factors<\/i> category consists of subcategories including health behaviors (smoking, obesity, alcohol intake, etc.), clinical care, social and economic factors (unemployment, education, crime, etc.), and the physical environment (built environment and quality of environment).<\/p>\n

Ranked 22 out of the 62 counties, Clinical Care<\/i> was Chautauqua County’s best category. Chautauqua County’s lowest ranked area was Physical Environment. <\/i>Number 53 out of the 62 counties, this ranking was negatively affected by the number of days with high levels of particulate matter and a high percentage of residents driving to work alone. Chautauqua County also experienced a higher rate of premature death than many other counties in New York State, ranking 54. Other factors that worsened rankings in the County included excessive drinking, teen birth rates, and percent of children in poverty.<\/p>\n

As a snapshot of Chautauqua County, the latest report says:<\/p>\n