Health stats bring focus to county’s problems

A new national report that quantifies several health factors for every county in the United States outlines a dismal picture of Christian County. It boils down to this: Kentucky is the eighth least healthy state in the country, and Christian County ranks along state averages for most health statistics.

Like the rest of Kentucky, our county has high rates of smoking and drinking. There’s too much fast food but not enough exercise. Too many children live in poverty, too many people die young and too many people die in car crashes. The rates of sexually transmitted diseases are well above state averages. The social support network is inadequate to help people deal with these problems.

Where does this community even begin to tackle the problems?

First, let’s recognize that health, education and economics are entwined. Each one affects the others.  In recent years, many of Christian County’s most influential organizations and individuals have invested their time, talent and resources to address problems in education and the economy. It’s time for the county’s health to rise to the same level of local consciousness. We cannot cast off concern for health and expect to make gains in education and the economy.

The Christian County Health Department correctly identifies three things this county can support to improve health: a smoking ban for indoor public places, the creation of hiking trails and public transportation. City council and fiscal court should pass smoking bans, and the city should move as quickly as possible on the rail-trail project. Plans are already under way for public transportation buses. The chamber and others involved in the Christian County Cares 2015 vision plan should address health more in long-range strategies.

The health department alone cannot steer improvements in the county’s health. There are other valuable resources at St. Luke Free Clinic, Jennie Stuart Medical Center and physician practices to help educate the public. Local government and media and the Christian County Chamber of Commerce also have a role. The hospital is the largest and most valuable of these local institutions in terms of its ability to lead positive change for health. We should expect no less from a local hospital.

Christian County cannot afford to ignore the community’s poor health any more than we afford to discount the impact of low expectations in education.

--

To read more about the health report, go to www.countyhealthrankings.org. It is a collaborative project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.