A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute shows Dubois County as the fourteenth healthiest county in Indiana.
The 2017 County Health Rankings are a collection of 50 reports that reflect the overall health of counties in every state across the country.
Annually, counties receive a snapshot of how healthy their residents are by comparing their overall health and the factors that influence their health with other counties in their state.
This allows communities to see county-to-county where they are doing well and where they need to improve.
Dubois County Health Department Administrative Director Donna Oeding notes that health happens where we live, learn, work and play. She says the report is important because it helps identify factors that afect residents and understand how to compare to other counties in the state.
Oeding says the county’s ranking in the report helps identify areas where the county has succeeded and where we still need to do more. She says with this knowledge, officials can take steps to improve health in Dubois County.
Dubois County ranked fourteenth in health outcomes and fourth in health factors.
The health outcomes ranking is based on measures of mortality and morbidity. The health factors ranking is based on four factors: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic, and physical environment factors.
Oeding says if one looks at all the measures in the report, it becomes very obvious there are many different players in the overall public health in Dubois County. She says they will continue to work with their partners to maintain and improve their high county ranking for years to come. She says everyone has a stake in community health and that we all need to work together to find solutions. She points out that Dubois County continues to be a leader in these types of collaborations.
Oeding cited the Dubois County Public Health Partnership and Dubois County CARES as examples of these collaborations. The Partnership was formed to assure the healthcare and public health services that best serve the needs of the population are provided.
Public health accreditation is a national program for state, local, territorial and tribal public health departments. The goal of the accreditation program is to improve and protect the health of every community by advancing the quality and performance of public health departments.
The online report can be found at www.countyhealthrankings.org
