An annual study is providing a snapshot of the health of each Wisconsin county. The UW-Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s county health ranking puts Ozaukee County as the healthiest, with Menominee County – home to Menominee Indian Reservation – at the bottom of the list.
The least healthy areas were major urban spots like Milwaukee and very rural areas such as an east-to-west band across Northern Wisconsin.
Dr. Patrick Remington, who directed the research, says the counties that encouraged health, low smoking and physical activity fared well. Other factors include access to health care, economic and educational conditions and the safety of a community.
Improvements would take time, says Remington, “If we are going to see changes in the health outcomes, we are going to have to make investments today.”
For the first time, the Johnson Foundation says it will provide grants to places that adopt new broad-based community health programs.
Click here to see how your county stacked up.