Putnam County Ranks Among Top Five Counties in NYS, For SIXth consecutive year

Putnam County Ranks Among Top Five Counties in NYS, For SIXth consecutive year

Brewster, NY—The seventh annual County Health Rankings have been released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, and for the sixth consecutive year, Putnam County ranks among the top five counties in New York State. Putnam is fourth in health outcomes, based on length and quality of life, and second in health factors, the influencers of health. Last year Putnam was second in health outcomes, and third in health factors, from among the 62 counties in the state. These rankings provide a snapshot of a community’s health and a starting point for investigating and discussing ways to improve health.

“Putnam County residents should be proud and feel encouraged. These rankings show a consistent pattern of good health,” said County Executive MaryEllen Odell. “Our residents are fortunate to enjoy a healthy lifestyle—built upon good individual choices and the work of our nationally-accredited health department.”

“Our health department’s number-one goal is making Putnam a healthier place to live, work and play,” said Michael Nesheiwat M.D., Interim Commissioner of Health. “We do this through collaboration, education, prevention and enforcement.”

The County’s move from second to fourth place in health outcomes comes along with higher number of self-reported poor mental health days. This data is collected as part of the Behavioral Risk

Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the nation’s premier telephone health survey. Putnam residents are asked to think about their mental health, and to estimate the number of days during the past 30 days when it was not good. This number of poor mental health days rose from 2.2 to 3.1—one of the reasons that mental, emotional and behavioral health promotion was selected as one of two top Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) priorities, along with chronic disease prevention. The CHIP is formulated with input from residents, the department of social services and mental health, and the health department and its other partners.

For more information on the 2015 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, visit http://www.countyhealthrankings.org

The Health Department’s mission is to improve and protect the health of the Putnam County community, composed of nearly 100,000 residents. Core services include community health assessment, disease surveillance and control, emergency preparedness, environmental health protection, family health promotion and health education. For more information, please visit our website at www.putnamcountyny.com/health; or visit our social media sites on Facebook at www.facebook.com/putnamhealth  and Twitter @PutnamHealthNY.