What to Know
- Rockland County ranked as the healthiest county in the state of New York, according to an annual report released Wednesday
- The overall health of a county was measured by how long people live and how healthy people feel
- Bronx County came in as the least healthy county in New York state
Rockland County was ranked the healthiest county in New York state, according to an annual report released Wednesday.
The annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, which looks at the overall health of the counties across the United States, determined that Rockland County was the overall healthiest New York county in 2018 — up from second place last year.
"This is a tribute to all the wonderful work done by our Health Department staff, as well as to our successful partnerships with community and faith organizations, health care providers, schools, worksites, and municipalities," Rockland County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said in a statement.
The overall health of a county was measured by how long people live and how healthy people feel, according to the report issued by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
The rankings also looked at health factors in each county. The health factors represent the focus areas that dive how long and well people live, including certain behaviors (like tobacco use, diet, exercise, sexual activity), clinical care (access to care and quality of care), social and economic factors and the physical environment, which includes housing and poverty issues.
Rockland came in sixth for its health factors — the same as last year. According to the data, 27 percent of residents report sever housing problems. Rockland officials say this percentage has stayed consistent for the past few years.
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"We know that some groups in our community may not be doing as well as others. There is still much work to do, especially with our underserved and racially and ethnically disparate populations. We are working with our residents and collaborating with our partners to address the issues that need improvement," Ruppert said.
The rankings determined that Bronx County is the least healthy in all of the state of New York. It came in at No. 62 in both the health outcome and health factors categories.
In a statement to NBC 4 New York, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said, “The Bronx has seen considerable improvements in many of the metrics that are used to measure overall health. For example, more Bronx residents now have health insurance, and fewer Bronx children are living in poverty.”
The full report can be viewed online at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
