Nevada counties ranked healthiest to least

Just how healthy is our community? It's an important question for all of us and the latest answer was delivered Wednesday at a meeting in the county commission chambers.

The study--the

--is in a way a county-by-county report card, of the nation's health.

For the audience gathered--most of them public health officials--it was a homework assignment identifying where the problems are, helping them set their priorities.

For the few laymen present, it was a new way of looking at our community. And depending on where you live, the view differed.

"Your zip code matters quite a bit," said Washoe District Health Officer Kevin Dick. "It's the social determinants of health that impact our outcomes."

Douglas and Pershing counties, for instance, topped the list as the healthiest. Mineral and Nye, the least. That apparently came as little surprise to those who work in public health. Washoe, by the way, slipped in this latest survey from fourth to ninth.

"We have an increased number of people who say they are in poor health."

The survey measured a list of factors including socioeconomic factors such as graduation rates, health insurance, teen births, income inequality.

There was one factor, however, that played a role in a number of ways--our housing crunch.

"When people are housing-insecure, it increases their stress levels as far as where they are going to stay, how they are going to be able to scrape together the rent that they need to keep the roof over their heads. How they are going to put food on the table."

One other factor jumped out of the data: deaths related to DUI accidents.

"We had 30% of our automobile fatalities were associated with drunk driving, alcohol impairment. That has increased to 37% in just two years. So, that's a significant increase."

Those attending were encouraged to address the issues in their counties whatever way they can, including lobbying for better public health funding.