Rockland Scores High in Latest County Health Rankings

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland County is ranked fourth in New York State for health outcomes and 11th for health factors, according to the annual County Health Rankings Report released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The rankings provide a snapshot of a community’s health and a starting point for investigating and discussing ways to improve it — something that's appropriate as April 3-9 is National Public Health Week.

“This National Public Health Week celebrates public health successes and provides opportunities for people to act toward a healthier life and community. We’re encouraging everyone — public health professionals, students, elected leaders, activists, and the public — to step in and do what they can to make our world a more equitable, safe, healthy, and just place," County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said.

This year's theme for National Public Health Week is "Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health: Feeling like we belong, being a part of our communities, and fostering cultural connections."

"Our findings reveal that people and places thrive when all residents have the chance to participate in their communities," said Sheri Johnson, principal investigator of County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. "History shows that we can remake systems and structures through civic participation that are beneficial to all."

Health departments are among those beneficial structures. They provide information on preventing diseases, managing illnesses, and where to go for help, and help control diseases like rabies, tuberculosis, measles, COVID-19, flu, polio, and sexually transmitted infections.

"Public health departments at the state and local levels provide the critical infrastructure for sustainable health in the United States," Dr. Robert W. Amler told Patch.

"Their multidisciplinary functions ensure safe environmental conditions for all, including safe food, water, housing, sanitation, disease control, emergency preparedness, and essential vaccines and clinical preventive services," said Amler, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and Institute of Public Health at New York Medical College in Westchester County. "In a curious sense, the best sign of a well-functioning health department is you barely know it’s there because you’re being safeguarded every day."

The public health rankings report is issued annually. Researchers looked at more than 30 factors that affect health such as education, employment, housing, tobacco use, and access to health care, and compares counties in each state. This year, they also looked at two elements of civic health: civic infrastructure, the spaces and policies that support opportunities for residents to stay connected, and civic participation, the ways people engage in community life and how they affect overall health.

In health outcomes, defined as how long people live on average within a community, and how much physical and mental health people experience in a community while they are alive, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties were in the top 25 of the 62 counties in New York.

The county-by-county rankings for health outcomes:

• Putnam: 1st
• Rockland: 4th
• Westchester: 6th
• Dutchess: 17th
• Orange: 20th
• Ulster: 24th

The report also looked at more than 30 factors that affect health including access to care, tobacco and alcohol use, drug overdose death rates, sleep, exercise, education, employment, housing, residential segregation and commuting. The county rankings for health factors:

• Putnam: 2nd
• Westchester: 4th
• Rockland: 11th
• Dutchess: 12th
• Orange: 21st
• Ulster: 25th

The Rockland County Department of Health helps to lay the foundation that puts policies and practices into place to build a safe and healthy community. As public health professionals, we play a critical role in ensuring that the public receives reliable, accurate information that will help them make informed decisions about their health, Dr. Ruppert said.

The Health Department checks the water we drink, the air we breathe, the restaurants we dine at, the community pools we swim in, and the summer camps our children attend. Public health laws mandate immunizations, seat belts and car seats, and other preventive measures.

The Health Department provides information on preventing diseases, managing our illnesses, and where to go for help, and helps to control diseases like rabies, tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19, flu, polio, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Health Department works with a network of community partners to put policies and practices into place to build a safe and healthy community.

"Together, we can make Rockland the healthiest and safest county in New York State! The future of public health depends on all of us taking action and responsibility. I encourage our residents to make their health and the well-being of their community a priority," said County Executive Ed Day. "Creating the healthiest and safest nation, and county, is also up to each one of us. This NPHW, we celebrate the unique and joyful ways different cultures focus on health. And we look to how we can learn from each other with humility and openness.

Follow the Health Department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rockhealth and at Twitter www.twitter.com/rockhealth to stay up-to-date on health-related issues, and visit the Health Department’s webpage at www.rocklandgov.com/health to find out about the many programs and services.

Visit www.nphw.org/ for more information about National Public Health Week.

The annual report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute can be viewed online here.

SEE ALSO: Westchester Honors Contributions To Public Health