The Vermont Department of Health is calling attention to disparities in community health across the state.
In a news release Wednesday, the department pointed to the latest County Health Rankings & Roadmaps data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
According to that data, Vermonters in the Northeast Kingdom counties of Essex and Orleans are the least healthy in the state. Rutland and Bennington counties also received low rankings.
Of the state’s 14 counties, Chittenden was deemed healthiest based on the County Health Rankings data.
The new rankings mirror the 2014 data from the same group. Rankings dating back to 2010 can be found at the County Health Rankings website.
To make the rankings, analysts look at a wide range of data, including air quality, education and employment levels, income, access to clinical care, and a variety of health behaviors like smoking and exercise.
Health Department officials say they are working with the communities in the low-ranking counties to improve situations there.
“There are economic and accessibility challengers particular to this region that make moving the needle of health outcomes more difficult,” said the department’s Newport District Director James Biernat, who oversees Orleans and northern Essex County.
The state as a whole fared better than the national median in 26 of 30 health measures used to determine the rankings. Vermont fell short on measures related to alcohol abuse, water quality and housing.
- Percentage of adults reporting binge or heavy drinking
U.S. Median: 16 percent
Vermont: 19 percent
- Percentage of driving deaths with alcohol involvement
U.S. Median: 31 percent
Vermont: 37 percent
- Percentage of population potentially exposed to water exceeding a violation limit [for drinking water quality] during the past year
U.S. Median: 1 percent
Vermont: 7 percent
- Percentage of households with overcrowding, high housing costs or lack of kitchen or plumbing facilities
U.S. Median: 14 percent
Vermont: 17 percent
