Allamakee County
health rankings
reveal success upon which to build
A new report from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute ranks Allamakee County 20th out of Iowa’s 99 counties in Health Outcomes, the primary ranking used to rank the overall health of counties. The County Health Rankings were developed through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Allamakee County welcomes these rankings as an opportunity to recognize and build upon our successes,” said Lisa Moose, Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Public Health Director. “However, there is always room for improvement. Public health is a journey that presents new challenges every day. Our goal is continually improve the health of our county.” The rankings were compiled by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation by taking into account a wide range of health factors, including: • healthy behaviors (avoiding tobacco use, healthy diet, adequate exercise, etc.) • clinical care (how easy it is to find a health care provider, quality of care). • social and economic factors (education, income, community safety, etc.). • physical environment (clean water and air, community infrastructure).
These rankings do not present a complete picture of what Iowa counties, including Allamakee County, have accomplished, but they do illustrate the positive efforts made toward improving the health of Allamakee County. Allamakee County intends to use these rankings to address those gaps. “While we know these rankings are only a snapshot in time and not a complete picture of Allamakee County’s health, we take them seriously,” said Moose. “We’ll use the rankings in conjunction with other community health assessments and planning efforts to find the best ways to build on our successes and address our challenges.” Allamakee County successes that were identified in the rankings include the following: 1) Mortality rank is based on a measure of premature death or years of potential life lost prior to age 75 - Allamakee County ranked 33rd of 99 in mortality. 2) Morbidity rank is based on measures that represent health-related quality of life and birth outcomes including self reported fair or poor health, poor physical health days, poor mental health days and the percent of births with low weight - Allamakee county ranked 15th of 99 in morbidity. 3) Allamakee County also ranked in the 57th percentile in access to healthy foods and continues to be a participant in the Food and Fitness Initiative. The Food and Fitness Initiative is a five-county coalition to create vibrant communities where food and fitness is important to where we live, learn, work and play and affects our quality of life. The goal remains to plan, implement and sustain an environment that promotes healthy eating and physical activity.
Opportunities for improvement identified in Allamakee County’s health ranking include these four areas: health behaviors, health factors, clinical care, and social and economic factors. Health factors are based on a variety of health behaviors including smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol use and risky sex behavior. Clinical care is based on measures of access to care and quality of care. Social and economic factors measure education, employment, income, family and social support and community safety. “Both our successes and opportunities show the need for ongoing investment in public health,” said Moose. “We will continue to work with stakeholders in our county to form public and private partnerships to improve the health of all residents.” Allamakee County, not unlike many other areas in the state of Iowa, is experiencing economic hardships and therefore the uninsured and underinsured population have increased. The cost of medical care has become a hard burden to bear for many families. The information gathered in this county health ranking tool will be used in an ongoing community health needs assessment. “Despite factors such as unemployment and a higher than average number of people without health insurance, we ranked 20th out of the 99 counties,” states Mike Myers, Veterans Memorial Hospital administrator. “This is a tribute to the quality of care that patients receive from the health care team in Allamakee County.” For more information about the County Health Rankings, visit http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/. For information about public health in Allamakee County, visit www.veteransmemorialhospital.com or call them at 563-568-5660.
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