Study: Escambia County Near Bottom Of The State In Health Outcomes

March 20, 2019

A list of health rankings published Tuesday ranks Escambia County near the bottom of state.

Escambia County ranked number 49 while Santa Rosa County came in at number seven out of Florida’s 67 counties. Escambia County moved up in the survey from number 53 last year.

The counties are ranked using 35 factors like access to health care and exercise, socioeconomic conditions, poverty and crime levels and health factors like the availability of doctors, the environment smoking and drinking.

The 2019 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps was released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County responded by saying the rankings are a snapshot of the health of counties across the country, and they emphasize that health is not a singular effort but a combined work in progress across all community partners. The department works in collaboration with local governments, non-profit organizations, health care facilities, business groups, schools, faith-based organizations and many other stakeholders to improve the health of Escambia County residents.

“The upward trend in the overall rankings for Escambia County reflects the efforts of many community partners and stakeholders,” said Dr. John Lanza, director and health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County. “Recognizing that we always have opportunities to continue to make Escambia County a healthier place to live, work, learn, and play, we will apply the information provided by the rankings as we work with these partners to begin a new Community Health Improvement Plan cycle in Escambia County, Florida.”

The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) addresses specific opportunities for improved health that have been identified by the community. The current CHIP, which ends later this year, has focused on reducing infant mortality and tobacco use, as well as increasing the number of residents at a healthy weight. In January 2019 community stakeholders, led by the LiveWell Partnership for a Healthy Community, published a new Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The 2019 CHNA identified the health improvement priorities for Escambia County’s new CHIP cycle as reducing and preventing the incidence of diabetes, improving infant and child health, and improving mental health

Comments

4 Responses to “Study: Escambia County Near Bottom Of The State In Health Outcomes”

  1. John on March 23rd, 2019 1:01 pm

    The county commissioners don’t want to bring in good paying jobs.

  2. David Huie Green on March 22nd, 2019 10:48 am

    REGARDING:
    “Is there anything that Escambia county is not ranked near the bottom of in Florida?”
    and
    “@gmp –

    yeah, crime.”

    Don’t know about Escambia County as a whole, but Pensacola didn’t make the worst ten for Florida (and Century is just a blip at best):

    https://www.roadsnacks.net/these-are-the-ten-worst-places-in-florida/

  3. Anon on March 21st, 2019 12:36 pm

    @gmp –

    yeah, crime.

  4. gmp on March 21st, 2019 5:47 am

    Is there anything that Escambia county is not ranked near the bottom of in Florida?