For the second consecutive year, La Plata County ranked as the 15th healthiest county in Colorado, according to the annual County Health Rankings.
The national rankings – released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute – are based on a variety of health factors.
“RWJF’s County Health Rankings allow us the opportunity to have access to local data, which is a critical tool for us to use in prioritizing the issues that we face in our communities so that we can focus on solutions,” said Liane Jollon, executive director of San Juan Basin Public Health.
The rankings evaluated 58 counties in Colorado.
La Plata County ranked 18th in the state for length of life and 14th for quality of life (based on poor or fair health, poor physical health days, poor mental health days and low birth weight).
La Plata County was about average with state percentages for health behaviors such as smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
Jollon said the county’s obesity and physical activity rates were positive takeaways from the rankings. Obesity rates remained level from last year, and the amount of adults who said they don’t have time to exercise decreased from 18 to 12 percent over the last five years.
“As a community, we are doing well in that direction,” she said.
However, the rankings did show some alarming statistics for La Plata County.
A new category for firearm fatalities was the “most alarming” statistic, Jollon said.
In La Plata County, 12 people per 100,000 residents died in a firearm-related incident. In Archuleta County, 21 people per 100,000 residents died. For the healthiest counties in the country, the rate is 7 people per 100,000 residents.
Jollon said the health department is aware of the issue in Southwest Colorado and is exploring projects to promote gun safety, as well as a new program that aims to reduce suicides by firearms.
Another negative takeaway from the ranking was La Plata County’s percentage of excessive drinking. Twenty-two percent of residents said they had binged drank in the last 30 days, above the state average of 19 percent and well above the U.S. top performer average of 12 percent.
La Plata County’s score in “Access to Exercise Opportunities” (79 percent) was well below the state and top performer average (91 percent). Representatives for the rankings did not immediately respond to questions.
According to the report, “Access to Exercise Opportunities measures the percentage of individuals in a county who live reasonably close to a location for physical activity. Locations for physical activity are defined as parks or recreational facilities. Parks include local, state and national parks.”
La Plata County’s rate of uninsured residents (14 percent) was higher than state average (12 percent) and national average (8 percent).
Unemployment in La Plata County (3.5 percent) was below the state average (3.9 percent) but above the national average (3.3 percent).
Archuleta County was ranked 24th healthiest county in Colorado.
Archuleta County had a higher than average rate of uninsured residents (17 percent). The county had a score of 25 percent of children in poverty (15 percent statewide) and an unemployment rate of 4 percent.
Montezuma County ranked 44th healthiest Colorado county.
Because of its small population, San Juan County was not included in the rankings.
The top five healthiest counties in Colorado are Douglas, Broomfield, Boulder, Routt and Eagle.
Jollon said the health department will hold meetings that invite the community to discuss the newly released rankings.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
