For the eighth year in row, St. Johns County is ranked No. 1 in Florida in Health Outcomes (measures of today’s health) and No. 1 in Health Factors (measures of tomorrow’s health) in the national 2019 County Health Rankings Report.
“The rankings truly validate the longstanding efforts of working together across the public health system, making St. Johns County a healthy place to live, learn, work, age, and play,” said Dr. Dawn Allicock, director and health officer with Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County. “Community partnerships are leveraged between clinical medicine and population health, to assure conditions for optimal health for people of all ages in St. Johns County.”
The national study highlights the many factors that influence a community’s health. “Health Outcomes” use length of life and quality of life as standard measurements to describe a community’s health. “Health Factors” are indicators that help determine future health (i.e. factors that can ultimately make people sick or lead to an early death).
“The continued top ranking of St. Johns County in this report reflects the high priority the
county places on health and human services, parks and recreation and other services that
contribute to the exceptionally high quality of life in our community,” said Paul Waldron, chair of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners.
The 2019 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps tool was released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The County Health Rankings use traditional, established data and vital statistics, much of which is obtained through the Department’s web-based community health assessment resource toolkit known as Florida Health CHARTS (www.FLHealthCHARTS.com).
The Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County convenes and champions the St. Johns County Health Leadership Council. This nationally-recognized community collaborative consisting of over 20 engaged community partners is dedicated to improving the health of all people in St. Johns County, Florida. The annual Rankings report complement ongoing Community Health Assessment by the Council, and serve as a springboard for communitywide discussion for improving overall community health.
