Health care rankings: Va. 21st, Tenn. 44th

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Virginia and Tennessee rank 21st and 44th, respectively, for overall health among the nation’s 50 states, according to a just-released national study.

The 2009 edition of America’s Health Rankings, an annual study by three medical organizations, had Virginia tied with Maryland for 21st in overall health.

That ranking was identical to Virginia’s spot in last year’s report.

Meanwhile, Tennessee placed higher than only six states (Nevada, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi) for overall health.
Still, Tennessee’s No. 44 spot represents an improvement from 2008, when AHR ranked it 48th.

Stephen May, medical director of the Sullivan County Regional Health Department, said Tennessee’s relatively low ranking was not surprising and that East Tennessee, in particular, faces major health challenges.

“We have the highest smoking rate in Tennessee, we have higher rates of child mortality and we have to modify many of our lifestyle choices,” May said Tuesday.

He said while East Tennessee has made promising strides in some health categories, such as providing flu and pneumonia vaccines to residents, the region still has serious work ahead.

“A lot of us in this area have to change the way we eat, the way we exercise and the way we rest, among other things,” May said.

May’s sober assessment was shared by John Dreyzehner, director of the Cumberland Plateau Health District in Lebanon, Va. Dreyzehner said while Virginia’s overall No. 21 ranking was encouraging, health conditions in Southwest Virginia were lagging behind.

“The mortality rate in Virginia is about 800 per every 100,000 people, but in Southwest Virginia it’s more like 1200 per 100,000,” Dreyzehner said.

“So while it’s great Virginia as a whole ranks high, the reality is the health challenges we face here are more similar to our neighbors in [East] Tennessee,” he said.

Dreyzehner said Southwest Virginia had particularly high rates for heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illnesses and overdoses from prescription drugs.

According to new AHR report – put together by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention – Virginia’s current health picture includes:
* Low rates of smoking (16.4 percent) and violent crime (256 offenses per 100,000 population);
* A good ratio of primary-care physicians to residents (125 per 100,000 population);
* High levels of pollution;
* A poor percentage of young children with complete immunization coverage (73.2 percent).

Regarding Tennessee, the 2009 AHR report includes these overall health snapshots:
* A high rate of smoking (23.1 percent);
* A high rate of obesity (31.2 percent);
* A low rate for binge-drinking (9.8 percent);
* An encouraging percentage of young children with complete immunization coverage (83.1 percent).

The 2009 report lists Vermont at No.1 for overall health, with Utah, Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Hampshire rounding out the top five.

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