Dare ranks high on health list despite access

MANTEO

A new report that ranks the health of North Carolina's 100 counties finds Dare County the seventh best in overall health but near the bottom in terms of access to health care, with more than a quarter of its adults uninsured.

Released last week by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the online report reveals that Dare also ranks 25th out of 100, with the No. 1 being highest, in health factors such as behaviors, access to care and socio economic influences.

But in general, the report is good news for Dare, said Anne Thomas, director of the Dare County Department of Public Health.

"I expected us to rank well," she said Friday, "but I certainly am pleasantly surprised that we ranked at seventh."

North Carolina, which came in 37 compared with other states last year in a separate report called America's Health Ranking, will use the county rankings in formulating its objectives for its planned health initiative in 2020, said Ruth Petersen, section chief for chronic disease and injury at the state Division of Public Health.

But the report, the first to rank all counties in the nation, she said, also reinforces the need for the private and public sectors to work together.

"It's really a call to action for people to look at all the things that influence the health of people in the community," Petersen said.

Dare is 13th in mortality - premature death before age 75 - and seventh in morbidity - the rate people report feeling physically or mentally unwell. With a population of about 34,000, the county fares worse in its healthy behaviors, with 29 percent of adults smoking, 24 percent obese, and 25 percent reporting recent binge drinking, resulting in a ranking near dead center - 48 - statewide.

When it comes to clinical care, which encompasses the range and accessibility of health care, Dare falls to 87, just above Tyrrell County, one of the state's poorest counties. Although Dare is one of the state's wealthiest counties, 26 percent of adults under 65 have no health insurance. There are also only 100 primary care providers per 100,000 people; ideally, there should be 154 per 100,000.

Ninety percent of Dare's students graduate from high school, according to the report, but 14 percent of its children live in poverty. Overall, the county ranks 10th best in its socio economic factors, likely a reflection of the county's relative wealth. And its physical environment, which considers access to nutritious food and clean air, as well as the density of liquor store locations, is ranked in the top quarter, at 24.

Dare has started programs to address substance abuse, access to health care and treatment of substance abuse, Thomas said, but the report will be useful in helping the county develop its updated health assessment report, which is due in January.

"I just hope this engages the community," Thomas said. "Overall, it shows that it matters where you live. And Dare County is a healthy place to live."

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com