Lucas County scores below state average in 'healthiest communities' rankings
Jul. 27—Lucas County scored below state and national averages in a "healthiest communities" report published by U.S. News & World Report.
The report, which the news magazine developed in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, surveyed 3,000 counties across the United States and scored each on a scale of 100 based on an average of scores in 84 different metrics. Based on those scores, the top 500 "healthiest communities" in the country were ranked.
Lucas, which did not make the top 500 and did not receive a ranking, scored a 36 out of 100, a number below the state average of 50, and national average of 48.
Wood County — the only county in northwest Ohio to rank in the top 500 — placed 473rd nationally by earning a score of 64. Other counties in the region placing outside the top 500 in the report published last month were: Henry County, which scored a 63, Ottawa at 61, Fulton 59.4, Williams 58.8, Defiance 57.6, and Sandusky 54.2.
Eric Zgodzinski, Lucas County's health commissioner, said there are myriad specific issues that have affected the area's health and wellness for a number of years, and though some progress has been made, he acknowledges there's still a lot of work to be done.
"We know that we definitely do have concerns in Lucas County," he said. "... We do have an obesity issue in our community, and we've been trying to work on that. Even the smoking issue, we're still kind of higher than what we want to be."
But beyond some of the physical health inequities, there are also other social determinants of health Mr. Zgodzinski said he's working with community partners to try to come up with creative solutions to promote the county's overall health.
"The income inequality is there," he continued. "You look at poverty issues especially with children, that's a concern, and there are some housing issues that we deal with here in Lucas County. ... All these things kind of line up to impact our overall health score."
Lucas' highest score came in the category of infrastructure, which scored a 66. Its lowest: community vitality (31) and equity (31).
Mr. Zgodzinski said focusing on things such as education, income equality, and removing barriers like poverty will go a long way in improving the overall health and wellness of the county.
"If we make sure kids graduate high school and that they get a decent-paying job," he said, "then all these things have a cascading effect. You have better education, you get a better job, you can fix up your house, you can make sure you're not in poverty. All these things go into play."
Mr. Zgodzinski said even though some aspects of Lucas' health reports look bleak, there are some positives occurring. He pointed to high access to primary care physicians, care, and exercise opportunities. Another positive he's focusing on is carrying the momentum of partnerships that were built in the community out of necessity during the pandemic. It's momentum he feels can be put to good use to impact the overall wellness of the county.
While the coronavirus has been "such a negative for so many of us," it also created new collaborative opportunities, the health commissioner said.
"One of those is the equity issue, and we're working with partners, and teaming up with individuals that we didn't get to in the past," he said. "And it really has opened up doors for us to eventually look at how do we use those partnerships to move programs out to improve the quality of life."
Wood County's highest score in the report came in the category of infrastructure, for which it scored an 82, followed by education, which garnered a 78.
Ben Robison, who took over as Wood County's health commissioner in September, said the region's commitment to a number of areas, but in particular education, has had positive effects on the overall wellness of the county.
"We're a community that has great connections across our entire community, and that collaboration is what makes us a great place to live, raise your kids, and retire in," he said. "As a health department, we are not the only public health agency in the county, we are just one of those agencies, and it is the collective combination of education and economics, nonprofit organizations, and community service, as well as the investment of the populace as a whole, that really makes us a healthy place to live."
Wood's lowest score came in the category of food and nutrition, which scored a 35. Mr. Robison said obesity has long been a focus of his agency, and there are several ways to address it.
Among Wood County residents who live at or below the poverty line, 24 percent have diabetes, for which obesity is a leading factor.
"These are problems that are not solved instantaneously, these are problems that are solved by long-term changes in behavior, by a different approach in how we build our communities, and quite literally how we lay out our neighborhoods, and their walkability," he said. "How we think about transportation and sectoring how we live within the geographic space we occupy as well as promoting things like healthy food and water, safe restaurants, strong schools."
