SEATTLE, February 17, 2010—Where we live matters to our health. That's the finding from the "2010 County Health Rankings," a collection of 50 reports released today that compares the overall health of counties in every state. For the first time, we have a county-by-county snapshot of the overall health of the region and the factors that influence our health.
The rankings show that there are wide variations in the health care available in Washington and the Puget Sound region. King, Thurston, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties rank well on clinical care measures, which include access to care and quality of care. Although King county fares better compared to the rest of the state, the region generally shows room for improvement in health behaviors such as smoking, diet and exercise, alcohol use and high risk sexual behavior.
While variations in health care reflect a national problem, health care is delivered locally. This is why the Puget Sound Health Alliance is part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality initiative. We are working to drive quality improvement by aligning key players in our communities. We need to continue bringing together those who give care, get care and pay for care in a coordinated effort to lift the overall quality of the region's health care. As we do this, we are reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health and serving as real-world models for national reform.
The rankings released today serve as yet another call for people to work together to improve health care. Here in the Puget Sound region, we're working to improve the quality of local health care by exploring new ways to improve communication between health care providers and patients. We're giving people information and tools that help them become better partners with their doctors, so they can better manage their own health. We're also working with doctors and hospitals to improve the quality of care they deliver.
###
The Puget Sound Health Alliance (www.pugetsoundhealthalliance.org), an
Aligning Forces for Quality Community, is a non-profit made up of those who
provide, pay for and use health care, working to improve quality of care at a
price more people can afford. More than 50 individuals and 165 organizations
have joined the Alliance, including The Boeing Company, Starbucks, Puget
Sound Energy, REI, WA State Health Care Authority, King County and many
other employers, physician groups, hospitals, consumer organizations, unions,
health plans, pharmaceutical companies, associations and others. A
cornerstone of the Alliance work is the Community Checkup (www.wacommunitycheckup.org), a regional report to the public comparing the performance of clinics and hospitals for basic measures of quality care in the Puget Sound area.
Return to Top |
