McHenry Co. ranks high in some health indicators, lower in others

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has just released their most recent "County Health Rankings" report.

This report measures the health of almost every county in the country using a series of health outcome measures, quality of life measures and health behaviors.

The report compares each county with the state as a whole, as well as with the top performing U.S. counties.

"This is an important survey because it allows us to see where we are doing well, and where we need to improve," said Dr. Kathy Welch, APN, ND, from the Family Health Partnership Clinic. "As providers, it's important for us to see the overall areas of concern for the county so we can incorporate results into our care."

While McHenry County ranked 10th out of 102 Illinois counties in terms of health behaviors, some areas of concern were noted. Smoking rates are higher in the county than the state average as is adult obesity.

In clinical care, McHenry County ranked 21 out of 102 counties. The county has less primary care physicians than the state average, as well as less mental health providers.

In fact, the county has only half as many mental health providers as the top U.S. performing counties. And while it is on par with the state average, mammogram rates and diabetic screening rates are less than the top U.S. performing counties.

The county ranked 99th out of 102 counties in Illinois in terms of the physical environment. Contributing to that ranking included higher than average drinking water violations, driving alone to work, and a long commute.

"These factors are important because as we move forward to making our county as healthy as possible, we need to change things on an individual level - like smoking and obesity - as well as on a policy level including access to care as well as transportation," noted Suzanne Hoban of the Family Health Partnership Clinic.

The Family Health Partnership Clinic in Crystal Lake provides care to the uninsured and underinsured of the McHenry County area. Visit www.hpclinic.org.

For more information on the County Health Rankings, go to www.countyhealthrankings.org.