Rockland Scores High in County Health Rankings

The seventh annual County Health Rankings have been released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, and for the sixth consecutive year, Rockland County ranks among the top five counties in New York State.

The rankings provide a snapshot of a community’s health and a starting point for investigating and discussing ways to improve health.

The report looks at more than 30 factors that affect health such as education, employment, housing, tobacco use, and access to health care, and compares counties in each state. New this year are measures on residential segregation, drug overdose death rates and sleep, county officials said.

Counties are ranked according to their current overall health (called health outcomes) and the estimate of future health (called health factors). Rockland County is ranked third in overall health in New York State, down from first place last year, and eighth in New York State for in health factors, down from sixth place last year.

"I am pleased that Rockland County has consistently been ranked one of the top five counties in New York State for overall health since 2011. This is a testament to all of the wonderful work done by our Health Department staff, as well as to our successful partnerships with community and faith organizations, health care providers, schools, worksites, and municipalities. We continue to have much work to do, but this report shows that we are achieving our goal to keep Rockland County residents healthy and safe," said County Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert.

Saratoga County clocked in at No. 1.

Here's how the lower Hudson Valley counties rank in health outcomes:

3 Rockland

4 Putnam

5 Westchester

10 Dutchess

16 Ulster

23 Orange

29 Columbia

59 Greene

61 Sullivan

"It's encouraging to see all the hard work of our communities to improve the quality of health across Rockland County," said Rockland County Executive Day in a prepared statement. "The data from the County Health Rankings is one source of information our Department of Health shares with local partners to develop strategies that continue a culture of health and wellness that benefits all local residents. Congratulations on another year of extremely positive outcomes!"

For more information on the 2015 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, visit the website.