Los Alamos County again named Healthiest Community in U.S.

Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·1 min read

Jun. 22—For the third year in a row, Los Alamos County has earned the No. 1 spot as the healthiest community in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with CVS Health.

The 2022 Healthiest Communities rankings are based on an evaluation of about 3,000 communities nationwide across 89 health and health-related metrics in 10 categories, such as education, population health, mental health, public safety, infrastructure, life expectancy and the environment.

The rankings serves as a tool to inform residents, community health leaders and elected officials about policies and best practices for better health outcomes by assessing which communities offer their citizens the greatest opportunity to live a productive, healthy life.

For the third year in a row, the rankings incorporate county-level coronavirus data on deaths and vaccination rates; and for the first year the rankings include data on natural disasters from FEMA's National Risk Index, highlighting threats faced by communities across the country.

"We all know the significant impact that social determinants have on the health and well-being of individuals and our local communities," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, vice president and chief health equity officer, CVS Health. "The data we collect helps us determine the best way to collaborate with communities to develop sustainable solutions and advance health equity in a way that meets their unique needs."

Following Los Alamos County in the top 10 Healthiest Communities rankings are: Falls Church, Virginia; Douglas County, Colorado; Morgan County, Utah; Carver County, Minnesota; Sioux County, Iowa; Ozaukee County, Wisconsin; Hamilton County, Indiana; Broomfield County, Colorado; and Delaware County, Ohio.

For more information on Healthiest Communities, go to Facebook or Twitter using #HealthiestCommunities.