The Franklin Regional Council of Governments says it is pleased with the county’s health rankings this year, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released the results of its national ranking of health-related data from every county in the nation. Franklin County rose from a ranking of 10 in most categories to seven, putting it right in the middle of the rankings of the 14 Massachusetts counties.
Phoebe Walker, the COG’s community services director, said while she is very pleased that the county is moving in the right direction, the COG will once again work with community partners to keep improving its rankings, which show that good health is not just the result of a good diet and exercise, but also housing, education, access to healthy foods and more.
About two dozen people from Greenfield and other Franklin County towns, human-service agencies, the hospital and community health center, the Opioid Task Force and more gathered this week for the announcement about where Franklin County falls in the rankings in 2019.
The report looked at everything from people’s behaviors, including tobacco, alcohol and drug use to diet and exercise, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment, including air and water quality, housing and transit.
“We’re still not where we want to be, but this is good news,” Walker said. “Moving up like this is the payoff of work that’s been going on here for many years.”
She said the data shows that the five top causes for death in Franklin County are cancer, heart disease, unintentional injuries resulting from fires, car accidents, pedestrian accidents and overdoses, chronic lower respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular disease that results in things like stroke.
“We’ll be looking at how much of this is preventable,” Walker said.
Walker said it is important for the COG and all of its partners, as well as all service organizations across the county, to think ahead to “tomorrow’s health.” She said making healthy food more accessible to all and creating more affordable housing, for instance, would make a big difference in some people’s lives. She said, for instance, about one in 10 households in Franklin County spend more than half of their income on housing alone, which means they might not have the money for good food, medicine and other necessities besides housing.
“That creates barriers — it creates food insecurity, child poverty and, as a result, fair to poor health in our neighbors,” Walker said. “It’s a severe cost burden for some, and it’s connected to health and well-being.”
She said as the COG continues work on the Community Health Improvement plan, which will cover numerous strategies, including ideas for improved clinical care, health behavior, social and economic factors, alcohol and drug use, the county’s physical environment and more, it will consider some of the sobering statistics, like drug overdose deaths, which have been on the rise.
Walker said promoting prevention programs is another goal.
In terms of social and economic factors, Walker said the COG will be looking at how things like passing a paid family leave bill and pregnant worker fairness act, increasing minimum wage and offering nurturing families group parenting classes might affect the county’s rankings and, more importantly, the health of its residents.
Walker said increasing public transportation, creating more affordable housing — for renters and owners — and improving infrastructure will also make for a more healthy Franklin County.
“This report is always a mixed blessing,” Walker said. “We get to look at these numbers once a year, and it shows us where we’re lacking, but it also shows us what we need to take into consideration to make everyone’s lives better.
Walker said the most recent data will be used to update the Community Health Improvement Plan that COG works on with community partners. She said the one drawback of the data is that it is self reported, so the picture might not be as complete as officials would like. But, she said, it’s enough to continue working on improvements.
“These are tools for planning,” she said. “We can use the data to improve different areas. It’s a good way to help us narrow our focus on the issues that really make a difference in health outcomes.”
She said the current Community Health Improvement Plan expires in 2020, so the work being done now will update and add to that plan. The COG’s partners include the United Way of Franklin County, Baystate Franklin Medical Center, North Quabbin Community Coalition, Community Health Center of Franklin County, Community Action and Franklin County Opioid Task Force.
For more information on this year’s and past years’ reports, visit: bit.ly/2o7wR7L