Study: Saratoga 2nd healthiest county in NY

Loses top spot to Rockland

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y.» Saratoga County is the second healthiest county in New York state, according to the latest rankings.

The result is part of the ninth annual rankings done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

For the past two years, Saratoga County had the top spot, but Rockland County took over this year.

“Kudos to Rockland County for coming out on top this year,” said Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus. “Our task now is to look at the data and to compare with other best performing counties not only in New York but across the country to do better.”

The study looks at 35 factors within each county, including access to medical care, alcohol consumption, and the percentage of population that remains physically active.

“As the New York State Commissioner of Health, it is always rewarding to visit counties across the state and see firsthand how they are working to create a healthier community for their residents,” said Howard Zucker, MD in a statement regarding the annual ranking. “The efforts of the counties, the NYS Prevention Agenda and the Governor’s commitment to becoming the healthiest state in the nation is leading to tremendous strides in making health a priority statewide. The Department of Health will continue to work with its state and local partners to address the many social and environmental factors that impact public health across the state.”

The New York State Report reveals that in New York, 21 percent of children live in poverty, compared to the U.S. rate of 20 percent. Among racial and ethnic groups in New York, rates of children in poverty range from 14 percent to 33 percent with Hispanic children faring the worst and White children faring the best, according to a release.

“We can’t be a healthy, thriving nation if we continue to leave entire communities and populations behind,” said Richard Besser, MD, RWJF president and CEO. “Every community should use their County Health Rankings data, work together, and find solutions so that all babies, kids, and adults – regardless of their race or ethnicity – have the same opportunities to be healthy.”

According to the 2018 Rankings, the five healthiest counties in New York, starting with most healthy, are Rockland County, followed by Saratoga County, Westchester County, Nassau County and Putnam County. The five counties in the poorest health, starting with least healthy, are Bronx County, Sullivan County, Cattaraugus County, Niagara County, and Chautauqua County.

“The time is now to address long-standing challenges like child poverty,” said Julie Willems Van Dijk, PhD, RN, director of County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. “This year’s rankings are a call to action to see how these persistent health gaps play out lo-

cally, take an honest look at their root causes, and work together to give everyone a fair shot at a healthier life.”

Saratoga County saw very small changes up and down across the various measurements which go into the ranking system.

“On the one hand, our length of life ranking went from 5 to 7 due to more premature deaths as defined by the study,” said Shimkus. “But on the other hand, we saw our alcohol impaired driving deaths decline by 4 percent which is very positive. Rockland County has a larger population than Saratoga County so minor changes in some figures here can skew the overall ranking.”

Last June, the chamber hosted coaches from the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute to figure out how the county could get even healthier.

“One of the things they’ve suggested is that we compare ourselves with similar cities and those who are also ranked the highest in areas similar to ours,” said Shimkus. “We’re doing that and continuing to encourage everyone who lives in Saratoga County to take full advantage of the myriad of outstanding local health and wellness organizations and businesses we have to improve your own health through promotions like our recent Health and Wellness Week.”

The full rankings can be found at www.countyhealthrankings.org.