While Livingston’s health ranks third in state, obesity, STDs heading in wrong direction

For the second year in a row, Livingston County scored a perfect 3, ranking third in health outcomes, third in health factors, and third overall out of Michigan’s 83 counties.

The County Health Rankings measure the health of nearly every county in the U.S., publishing the results online at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org. These rankings help counties understand what influences the health of their residents and how long they will live.

The health outcomes are based on an equal weighting of length and quality of life, and the health factors are used on weighted scores for health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.

“Even though Livingston’s ranking did not change from last year, there is still plenty of room to improve,” said Dianne McCormick, the health officer at the Livingston County Health Department. “Adult obesity, sexually transmitted infections, diabetes monitoring, and mammography screening are all trending in the wrong direction.”

The Livingston County Community Health Improvement Plan 2015-2020 outlines action plans to address many of the areas in which our county can improve, including substance abuse, chronic disease, healthcare integration, dental health, sexually transmitted diseases, and health education and promotion.

The Livingston County Health Department maintains that despite being an educated, affluent, employed county with access to care, which all factor into being ranked in the top five Michigan counties, there are areas where the county’s health can improve in terms of both outcomes and factors. The vision and action plans within the Livingston County Community Health Improvement Plan 2015-2020 poise our community to continuously advance toward making the county a healthier place for all to live, learn, work, and play.

For more information, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org or call the Livingston County Health Department at (517) 546-9850.

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The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.