Johnson County is ranked as the fourth healthiest county in Missouri, according to the County Health Rankings report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The county has moved up seven places in the state, showing progress in the overall health for the county.
The county moved up from 11th to the fourth healthiest county. This shows a consistent upward trend for improving health outcomes. Health outcomes represent how healthy a county is within the state. It is ranked by how long people live and how healthy people feel. This gives a look at whether health improvement programs in our county are working.
The County Health Rankings is an annual population health checkup for the more than 3,000 counties in the nation. It shows how healthy the county is in each state, reflects the physical and mental well-being, and highlights specific health factors.
To see the report, visit https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/.
Areas Johnson County performed well include a lower percentage of premature deaths, and a lower number of babies born with a low birthweight. In addition, Johnson County has fewer alcohol impaired driving deaths than the national average.
According to the report, areas needing improvement include obesity and a low number of flu vaccinations. The county also has an extremely high number of sexually transmitted infections, which is five times higher than the national average, and one of the highest in Missouri.
Johnson County’s health ranking is higher than some of the surrounding counties. Henry County ranks 80, Lafayette ranks 42, and Pettis County ranks 28.
“Johnson County continues to be placed in the top tier of the health rankings, proving again that this is a great place to live, work and play. Johnson County should be proud,” said Mary Thaut, Johnson County Community Health Services administrator.
Johnson County Community Health Services provides quality Home Health, Public Health, and WIC programs to prevent illness, promote health, and protect the communities we serve. Information can be found at www.JohnsonCountyHealth.org.
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