HEALTH: See how county ranks

How healthy is the county where you live in comparison to other counties in Idaho? The health of a community depends on many different health factors, including the environment, education and jobs, access to and quality of health care, and individual behaviors. One way to look at the health of your county is through the County Health Rankings. These rankings look at measures that describe the current health status of a county (Health Outcomes) and the health factors that influence those outcomes.

Kootenai County ranks as the 10th healthiest county in Idaho when looking at Health Outcomes (morbidity and mortality). It ranks 17th when looking at all the health factors that lead to those outcomes, among them smoking, alcohol use, sexual activity, diet and exercise, access to clinical care, education, employment, community safety and the quality of our environment.

Take a moment and see how the county where you live compares to other surrounding counties. You might just be surprised. The rankings, available at www.countyhealthrankings.org, includes a snapshot of each county in Idaho with a color-coded map comparing each county’s overall health ranking.

Knowledge is power. If we know there are health factors in our community that need improvement, we should focus on improving those health related issues through individual behavior change as well as policy change that promotes healthy behavior.

LORA WHALEN, Director

Panhandle Health District