Escambia Health Ranks In Bottom Half Of State

March 31, 2011

Escambia County continues to rank in the bottom half of counties in Florida when it comes to health, according to the annual County Health Rankings, released Thursday by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Out of 67 counties, Escambia County continues to rank 47th on health outcomes, while improving from 43rd to 39th on health factors. Health outcomes account for morbidity and mortality, while health factors include health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.

The rankings show that Escambia County continues to be strong in the area of clinical care, ranked 6th out 67. This ranking includes statistics regarding the number of uninsured adults, primary care providers to population ratio, the number of preventable hospital stays, and the percent of Medicare enrollees who receive screenings for diabetes and breast cancer.

“We can use this ranking to build on our successes and mobilize community leaders to take action, implementing programs and policy changes needed to continue providing quality healthcare here in Escambia County,” a release from the Escambia County Health Department said.

The rankings also shed light on factors that are making Escambia residents unhealthy and what more we can be doing to make the county a healthier place to live. Premature deaths due to chronic diseases and a high incidence of low birth weight are two critical health outcomes in which Escambia County falls short. Escambia County also ranks low in physical environment, although there is one improvement worth recognizing: the percentage of citizens in Escambia County who have access to healthy foods increased to 78 percent, up from 40 percent last year.

Comments

5 Responses to “Escambia Health Ranks In Bottom Half Of State”

  1. Don on April 1st, 2011 6:14 pm

    Shows what the state thinks about us poor folkes down here in the panhandle they dont give a —- YUP ENOUGH SAID…

  2. Darryl on March 31st, 2011 8:34 am

    “Premature deaths due to chronic diseases and a high incidence of low birth weight are two critical health outcomes in which Escambia County falls short.”

    Any information on what causes in the county are contributing to this? I know back in the eighties when an aunt was battling cancer her cancer specialist in Birmingham told them he didn’t understand why most of his patients came from the Mobile-Pensacola region. When I consider the number of paper mills and other plants that produce run-off, the condition of the rivers, streams and the bays, and the amount of chemicals even the farming operations now use, it makes one wonder.

  3. whitepunknotondope on March 31st, 2011 7:11 am

    “What you call the means to harm one another, may be the means by which you have food to eat when what is coming comes. And it is comming fast.”

    EMD: calm down, it’s time to take your meds.

  4. EMD on March 31st, 2011 1:22 am

    What you call the means to harm one another, may be the means by which you have food to eat when what is coming comes. And it is comming fast.

    One can harm someone on purpose or accidently with a pencil, and knife, and a motor vehicle, and even their hands. Should we outlaw all that too? THINK!!! Please.

  5. eab on March 31st, 2011 12:51 am

    Yeah! Well! It may be true that we rank in the bottom but by golly we ain’t gonna have to tell our doctors whether we own guns or not!

    Oh …wait….they don’t ask….

    Thanks Greg Evers….

    Now. Greg. Do you thing you could introduce a bill to help people in your district to get healthier rather than giving them the means to harm one another?

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News