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We are frequently in physical distress, have generally poor social and economic conditions and don’t sleep well — all factors that help put Luzerne County at 60th out of 67 Pennsylvania counties when it comes to “health outcomes,” and 56th regarding “health factors.”
In short, findings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s annual health rankings for counties nationwide don’t make Luzerne County look hale and hearty.
The complex annual rankings look at a wide range of factors, providing a cornucopia of health and health-related statistics. That’s a good thing, Geisinger’s Brian Ebersole said.
As Geisinger’s Springboard health initiative senior director, Ebersole said the annual report is “an opportunity to inform the conversation about how we can collectively in the community use this information.”
Ebersole cited places where Luzerne County and Northeast Pennsylvania have improved when compared to prior reports, including having more people with health insurance and improved clinical care. He also cited some areas where the region continues to lag, including those living with food insecurity (13 percent) and a relatively low number of mental health providers (91 for every 100,000 residents).
Improving access to nutritious food — including at food pantries — is “a place I think where the community can have a conversation and no one comes in feeling territorial,” Ebersole said.
Area colleges that offer majors in behavioral health fields — including the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine — can develop programs along with health care providers to encourage graduates to stay in the area, he added.
The county-level data lets one county or region doing poorly in certain factors look for counties doing well, and then try to find out why they are succeeding and how their efforts might be replicated, Ebersole said.
Because the data is so comprehensive, it also shows that the answers to improving can involve a wide range of organizations beyond those offering clinical care, he added.
“It’s not a once and done,” Ebersole said. “It’s an ongoing dialogue about how we can improve overall health of this community we call home.”
Some regional data from the report:
• Luzerne County ranked 57th in the length of life, 63rd in quality of life, and 42nd in healthy behaviors. We are, as Ebersole said, “in the middle of the pack” when it comes to clinical care, ranking 37th. But factors used to calculate the social and economic situation for the county put Luzerne at 62nd — the lowest among all neighboring counties. Lackawanna ranked 43rd, for example, and Wyoming 32nd.
• Luzerne County had the 31st lowest infant mortality rate, 21st lowest percentage of diabetic residents, and 26th lowest motor vehicle mortality rate. It also had among the worst percentages of those reporting being in frequent physical distress: 12 percent, to rank 61st. The county also had 12 percent reporting they are in frequent mental distress, ranking it at 48th of 67 counties statewide.
• When it comes to reporting insufficient sleep, more than a third — 36 percent — report having the problem, high enough to make Luzerne County residents sleepier than 47 other counties across Pennsylvania.
The foundation posts the annual reports online at www.countyhealthrankings.org
