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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | County Health Rankings Released
May 12, 2022
Media Contact:
Alison Clark, Communications Specialist
Ottawa County Department of Public Health
(616) 494-5597 or aclark@miottawa.org
Ottawa County Ranks among the top healthiest counties in Michigan
(HOLLAND, MI.) - According to the 2022 County Health Rankings (CHR), Ottawa County ranks among the healthiest counties in Michigan. The annual report ranks Michigan counties based on data collected in two areas: Health Outcomes and Health Factors. Ottawa County ranked number two out of 83 counties in the State of Michigan in both categories.
The current overall health of Ottawa County residents is measured in the Health Outcomes category, which tracks data for five health measures in the areas of Length of Life and Quality of Life.
The future health of county residents is highlighted in the Health Factors category, which tracks 30 health measures in the areas of Health Behaviors, Clinical Care, Social and Economic Factors and Physical Environment.
- Ottawa County did as well or better than Michigan's overall rating in 80% of measures.
- Compared to top U.S. performing counties, Ottawa County met or exceeded 26% of the benchmark measures.
The CHR also highlights opportunities for improvement.
Ottawa County does not compare favorably to top performing counties for:
- Access to primary care (medical, dental and mental health providers). Though Ottawa County has consistently underperformed in these provider access measures by comparison, its people maintain a high level of overall health as reflected in top rankings for Length of Life and Quality of Life. These two areas mirror the current health of a community. The Ottawa County community has taken deliberate action through its Community Health Improvement Plan to help residents navigate the often complicated health care system and to create solutions that fill gaps.
- Air quality concerns, due to the geographic position we share with other counties along the lakeshore in southwest Michigan, are captured by one of the measures in an area called Physical Environment, where Ottawa County has consistently ranked lower than other Michigan counties and top U.S. performing counties. Despite the current ranking, air quality in Ottawa County has improved over the last two decades.
Other areas where Ottawa County has opportunities to improve involve addressing social determinants of health such as:
- Violent crime, where Ottawa County ranked higher than other Michigan counties, but lower than top U.S. performing counties.
- Excessive drinking increased to 22% of the adult population in this year's rankings and alcohol-impaired driving deaths remained elevated with 30% of motor vehicle crash deaths involving alcohol.
- Driving alone to work remains a common practice in Ottawa County (82%), slightly higher than the State of Michigan and much higher than top-performing counties across the U.S.
The rankings show that where we live matters to our health and that good health is influenced by many factors beyond medical care including jobs, housing, education, poverty and more. Moreover, positive health outcomes and future good health are influenced by the strong community partnerships, health systems and data collection tools in place in Ottawa County, such as the Community Health Needs Assessment and the resulting Healthy Ottawa Plan. Other tools used to influence programming and improve health outcomes are the Youth Assessment Survey and the Migrant Health Survey.
“Consistently ranking as one of the healthiest counties in Michigan is a reflection of how strong partnerships among all sectors, along with caring community members, can and do make a difference in our communities' health," said Lisa Stefanovsky, Administrative Health Officer. "I want to thank leaders in business, government, education, non-profit, agriculture, healthcare, faith and all of our community members for their commitment to creating opportunities for all to lead healthy lives. We still have work to do, but by continuing to work together, all of our community members can thrive."
The CHRs are released every year by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Find other county rankings and more information at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health works with our community to help assure conditions that promote and protect health. OCDPH’s vision is healthy people. For more information, visit miottawa.org and OCDPH on Facebook @miOttawaHealth or Twitter @miOCDPH.
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Learn more about how the Ottawa County Department of Public Health is working with our community to assure conditions that promote and protect health in our 2020-2021 annual report.
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