County gets a clean bill of health, mostly

Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, August 7, 2002

The folks of Island County have been awarded a relatively clean bill of health when compared to the rest of the state, according to a recent study by a Seattle-based non-profit health organization.

The Washington Health Foundation study, which culled data from a number of local and state agencies, found that “by most measures, the people of Island County are healthier than the rest of the state.” Released last Thursday, the report cites low death rates and fewer children born to women who smoke as leading indicators of a relatively healthy population.

Carrie McLachlin, public health coordinator for the Island County Health Department, said she attributes the good report to improved health care throughout the county, as well as the many public programs offered through the health department.

“Overall, our health system has really improved, and people are a lot more satisfied with local health care,” McLachlin said Thursday. “Our trends are looking good compared to the past. We have a really good prenatal maternity support service.”

She noted that asthma hospitalization rates also are comparatively low in Island County.

McLachlin said the county’s relatively low rate of teen pregnancies — about 18 births per 1,000 teens — does “speak to the success of intervention.” On the subject of death rates, however, she was hesitant to cheer the good news, as many elderly and terminal patients move off island to seek care, sometimes changing their residency status.

Although she called the report a “nice” one, McLachlin was cautious about its implications.

“They don’t talk about the bad things in there,” she said.

In the realm of social factors that impact health, such as teen drop-out rates and average income levels, Island County often ranks lower than the state average. McLachlin also pointed out that much of the data used in the report comes from the 2000 Census. Health issues are in constant flux, so the “snapshot” of data compiled by census takers is not necessarily up to date.

Many of the health issues confronting Island County are not unique to the region.

“What we’re finding is that a lot of issues are the same as national issues,” McLachlin said, pointing to such things as obesity, lack of physical activity, chronic diseases and a lack of access to resources and health services.

With a sluggish economy and a county currently undergoing its own budget crisis, McLachlin said it will become increasingly important to address health-related issues. Budget cuts that could eliminated health programs will have short and long term impacts on the county’s population.

“The overwhelming thing we’ve found is that health is so frequently related to income levels and access to insurance,” McLachlin said.