County 10th healthiest in state
Butler County is the healthiest in Western Pennsylvania and near the top of the list statewide, according to a national study.
It ranks 10th out of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, according to the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report released this past week.
The county also scored much higher than those on its borders. Allegheny ranks 46th, Armstrong ranks 33rd, Beaver ranks 44th, Clarion ranks 26th, Mercer ranked 51, Venango ranks 37th, and Westmoreland ranks 23rd.
The health score was determined by measuring the length and quality of residents' lives.
The study is aimed at health care providers to help them to be aware of areas where their populations are vulnerable, said Cece Foster, executive director of the Community Health Clinic of Butler County.
It is based on public information, mainly from health care agencies, analyzed by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in Madison, Wis. It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, N.J.
Butler scored even higher, sixth out of 67, on a second set of measurements.
The county is better educated, with lower unemployment and fewer children living in poverty, than the state averages, according to the report. It ranks closer to the nation's healthiest counties.
“I think that it's great that our ranking is so high in the state and there is certainly a link between our very positive economic status, our 98 percent (school) graduation rates, and our health status,” said Leslie Osche, executive director of the United Way of Butler County.
The report said county residents smoke less, are more physically active and have fewer teen births and fewer sexually transmitted diseases than the state averages. It beats the nation's healthiest in some of these categories but not in others.
Osche said community health care agencies that stepped up outpatient services, antismoking campaigns and teen health programs deserve some credit.But while most of the news is good, the information also gives some insight into the county's weak spots.For example, the county's lowest score is that of its physical environment, 54th. The county rates well in water safety and access to recreation, but half its restaurants serve fast food, about twice the number in the nation's healthiest counties, 27 percent.“We need to do more, education wise, from preschool on up,” said Foster, who wants families to be aware of the nutritional value of their food.The prevalence of fast-food restaurants also might point to the causes of the high rates of obesity in the county, she said, although the rate is better than the state average.The county has a 27 percent obesity rate, while the state is at 29 percent as is Allegheny County. More than 30 percent of residents in Armstrong, Beaver, Lawrence and Venango counties are obese.Nationally, the nation's healthiest counties have a 25 percent obesity rate.Foster has other concerns too. While violent crimes here are 170 per 100,000 people from 2008 to 2010, less than half the state average of 386, they are more than twice as many as the nation's healthiest counties, 66. The Federal Bureau of Investigation provided the information.There are other areas the county could improve, according to the report. Fifteen percent of the population drinks excessively, compared to 17 percent statewide and 7 percent in the nation's healthiest counties.Alcohol also contributes to a high number of fatal motor vehicle accidents here, 15 per 100,000 people from 2004-2010, compared to 12 statewide and 10 in the nation's healthiest counties.Butler County has about 185,000 residents, according to 2011 Census figures.The county also needs more doctors and dentists, according to the report. It has 1,937 people for every doctor, compared to the state average of 1,273 people per doctor and 1,067 people per doctor in healthy counties nationally.The county has 1,877 people for each dentist, compared to 1,801 for each dentist statewide and 1,516 people for each dentist in the healthiest U.S. counties.For information about the report, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org/ online.
