The County Health Rankings were released this morning and Allen County has improved 7 spots, from #91 to #84!  We still have a long way to go, but every day we are working to make Allen County the healthiest rural county in Kansas.  Winning the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize last year highlighted the efforts over the past 10 years to create a healthier community.  It was a welcome acknowledgement of the arduous work that has been put in to our community in various areas to move the needle on our culture of health: work that takes years–not days, weeks, or months–to show results.  The data provided in the County Health Rankings gives us much more detail and insight into where we are making strides and where we still have work to do.

The County Health Rankings is an ambitious tool that seeks to identify meaningful measures of progress on a county-level for every community in America.  Having access to local data is the first step required in order to apply evidence-based practices and interventions while utilizing new resources in efficient ways.  Thrive utilizes the County Health Ranking data to focus on areas where we can make positive changes in our community.  One clear example of this is in Allen County’s uninsured rate.  In 2013 the County Health Rankings showed 16% of Allen County residents were uninsured.  Thrive knew that this was an area we could positively impact by providing the correct resources and people for our residents to utilize.  Since 2013, Thrive has employed Navigators to assist consumers in acquiring health insurance.  Our Navigators have seen more than 1,600 consumers, enrolling or re-enrolling more than 895.  This year the County Health Ranking data shows that our work is paying off and only 9% of residents in Allen County are without insurance; lower than the state average of 10%.

While we are proud of the achievement of improving 7 spots we are always aware that our rankings ultimately result from a complex interplay between behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use, physical activity and nutrition; a built environment that supports good health choices; quality medical care for acute illness and the management of chronic illness; as well as socio-economic factors such as income, education and employment.

For more info on the rankings: https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

For a one pager on Allen County’s health ranking check out this report by the Kansas Health Institute: KHI One Pager on Allen County, Kansas 2018 County Health Rankings