Holmes County: A healthy place to live County ranks third in Ohio in national health-related survey
Dr. D.J. McFadden wasn’t going to put too much stock in the results of the University of Wisconsin’s Mobilization Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) county ranking which came out Wednesday, Feb. 17. But the Holmes County Health District commissioner was plenty pleased after Holmes County finished third out of the 88 Ohio counties, behind Delaware and Geauga counties.“We know that this isn’t something in which the most important thing is the ranking, but we’ll take it where we can get it,” said McFadden. “I am thrilled to be where we are in the state, and it speaks volumes about the job not only our health district is doing, but in the way the people of this county care about health issues.”
The MATCH survey, which ranked every county in every state in the nation, explored various health issues, ranging from individual health behaviors, education and jobs, quality of health care, and environment. The survey took into account drug, alcohol and tobacco use, infant mortality, teen births and many other factors that were deemed important to the total health outlook of a county. According to the report, what mattered most was the overall health, which was measured by death and illness rates in the county.
The county health ranking also shows how Holmes County fares on individual factors that influence its overall health. Holmes County showed strength in the areas of health behaviors, with low rates of smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors compared to the state, where it ranked fourth out of 88. Holmes County also ranked high in regard to its physical environment, which took into account the air quality, access to healthy food and the environment. The county’s physical environment ranked third out of 88.
“We believe that these high rankings have come from our programs such as WIC, which provides nutritional education to clients, stressing healthy choices,” said McFadden. “Our previous tobacco cessation programs were very successful in educating the public about the health impacts of tobacco products. The tobacco cessation programs helped many individuals stop smoking. Our family planning program has aggressively pursued treatment of sexually transmitted disease, which has prevented the spread of these diseases. The family planning program has also provided education to the public on the risks of promiscuous and risky sexual behavior.
“The rankings also represent what we in Holmes County do well. The sense of collaboration and caring for our community has contributed to this ranking. The personal responsibility in choosing healthy lifestyles makes us a healthy community. Our commitment to keeping our air and water quality high so that our children and our neighbor’s children can grow up healthy makes us a healthy place. Our strong schools help to create well educated individuals who can make informed decisions about their health care. Our active business community provides jobs and gives back to the community in ways that provide the means for our community to obtain affordable health care. Pomerene Hospital is an active member of our community that strives to keep us all healthy.
“No matter what we do as a health district, achieving this lofty of a standard would not be possible without the people here being so concerned about health issues and taking a personal interest in creating a safe, healthy environment.”
While it did offer a glimpse at the good, it also points out the area where improvements can be made. Holmes County scored 57 out of 88 for clinical care. Clinical care as determined by this report is based upon access to care and quality of care. Pomerene Hospital recently was recognized for the high quality of care provided. However, the county has only 7.9 physicians per 10,000 residents compared to the average in Ohio of more than 25 physicians per 10,000 population, based upon data from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). As a community, the active recruitment of physicians to practice in Holmes County will improve access to care locally.
“It tells us that we need to bring in even more qualified, caring physicians,” said McFadden.
He said that even though Holmes County ranked near the top, there are still areas of improvement. Last year, the Ohio Department of Health’s Office of Healthy Ohio released county profiles for all 88 Ohio counties, outlining areas for improvement. McFadden said the health department will use the county health ranking report in addition to the Healthy Ohio profile to identify the areas where the county faces the most significant challenges.
“We plan to work with community leaders to create and invest in programs and initiatives that improve health across Holmes County,” said McFadden. “I am pleased with these results. One area of concern is the loss of some of our wellness and prevention programs in response to loss of funding. I hope that our rankings remind us that strong public health programs can help to keep us healthy.
“The biggest issue facing us now is, where do we go from here. We achieved a very high ranking among Ohio’s counties, but with major budget and program cuts in the past year which can greatly affect our services, will we be able to continue the high standards we have set here in the county.”
McFadden said the department will also be working with ODH to identify additional solutions and best practices that can help to improve the health of Holmes County and the overall well-being of Ohio.
Many of the measures utilize U.S. Census bureau population estimates or social/economic indicators. This is all the more reason for residents to accurately complete the 2010 census forms in a timely fashion.
As for the sights of being number one in the state, McFadden said that is a ranking for which the district will always continue to strive.
“This is a learning tool for all of us. For the counties at the bottom, it serves as a real wake-up call,” said McFadden. “Nobody wants to be down there, and hopefully they’ll begin exploring why they are there and how they can improve. For the counties at the top, it’s going to be a matter of looking at it and thinking why are we here, and how can we remain here.”