A grant-funded study released March 16 ranks Will County among the healthiest counties in Illinois.
The Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health study uses data sets collected from numerous sources to objectively rank the health of all 102 state counties. For the seventh consecutive year, MATCH ranked Will County as one of the state’s healthiest counties.
The MATCH project is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The study ranks Will County as the 14th healthiest county in Illinois, which is a seven spot improvement over its 2015 ranking.
According to MATCH, the county ranks 14th best in terms of health outcomes and 18th in health factors – an improvement of one spot over 2015. Health outcomes are a measure of current community health, and are based on an equal weighting of morbidity and mortality measures that influence the length and quality of life.
The health factors ranking is derived from an examination of numerous health behaviors, such as access to clinical care, quality of clinical care and physical environment. Social and economic factors are also considered.
Will County has improved its overall health ranking by 11 spots since 2014. The county’s overall ranking has never been poorer than 25th.
According to the study, Will County strengths include length of life, high school graduation rates, low teen birth rates, help for the uninsured, low accidental fatality rate, access to clean drinking water and a comparatively low number of children living below the poverty line. Areas that could be targeted for improvement include adult smoking rates, adult obesity, unemployment, housing problems and preventable hospital stays.
Will County’s Mobilizing Action Through Planning and Partnerships provides a framework to help the community assess and address critical area health concerns. The collaboration brings together dozens of community partners who are willing to invest their time and talents to insure that Will County remains one of the state’s healthiest jurisdictions.
There will be a free Mobilizing Action training for current and prospective members April 4, at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. Current Mobilizing Action initiatives include adult obesity and reducing the incidence of preventable hospital stays in Will County.
For more information about MAPP or to register for the free April 4 training, call 815-727-5089 or email jgorszczyk@willcountyhealth.org. For more information about the MATCH project, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.
