|
 Washington
Health Foundation Releases 2008 Healthiest
State Report Card
After
spending nine years on the outside looking in -
Washington State is back among the Top 10 Healthiest
States in the Nation! Washington ranks #10 in an
extensive new Healthiest State Report Card just released
by the Washington Health Foundation (WHF).
“This has been a long time
coming,” said Greg Vigdor, WHF President & CEO, “and we
are thrilled with the progress Washington is making in
many key areas.”
Washington meets or exceeds
the national average in 13 of the 17 health measures and
outcomes used as benchmarks in the Report Card. Among
our state’s strengths were Smoking Rates (#5), Injury &
Violence Prevention (#5), Years of Life Lost - Deaths
before age 75 (#7), and Physical Activity (#9).
“We are making strides,”
said Don Sloma, WHF Policy Director. “But there is still
much work to be done, particularly in several key
areas.” Washington failed to meet the national average
in Limits on Normal Living (#30.5), Use of Proven
Preventive Care (#32.5), High School Graduation Rates
(#32), and Medical Care Quality (#33).
New England dominates the
Healthiest State rankings holding down four of the top
five spots. Vermont is number one, followed by
Connecticut, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Utah, Hawaii, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Washington round out
the Top 10.
The story surrounding this
year’s healthiest state is one from which Washington
should take heart: in 1990, Vermont was 16th in state
health rankings; by 2001, the state had moved up to 8th
today, Vermont is #1. Vermont’s story illustrates that
it takes time to improve a state’s health - but that it
can be done. Washington was in a similar position
several years ago.
In 2004, the idea for the
Washington Health Foundation’s (WHF) Healthiest State in
the Nation Campaign was born from the fact that
Washington had plummeted from #7 in the state health
rankings. Shortly thereafter, WHF kicked off its
Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign to call
attention to areas in which Washington needed to
improve. Today, the Healthiest State Campaign is the
largest civic engagement project for health in state
history, now involving more than 35,000 individuals,
1,000 organizations and nearly 400 schools.
Washington is not yet number
one, but our plan is clearly working. Last year,
Washington took a huge leap forward - moving up three
spots, from 15th to 12th in the United Health
Foundation’s annual state health rankings. Additionally,
Washington was singled out as one of the five “Most
Improved” states overall.
This year witnessed another
big jump from 12th to 10th, but Vigdor cautions that
moving into the top five or six states will take a
monumental effort in both personal responsibility (e.g.
physical activity) and collective action (e.g. Public
Health System Investment).
“Those top tier states
exceed the national average in nearly every area,”
Vigdor explained, “and they are ranked in the Top Ten in
at least eight of the 17 measures and outcomes. That is
what it will take to move Washington to the next level -
a commitment to better health and a belief that together
we truly can make Washington the Healthiest State in the
Nation!”
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