Multnomah County remains one of the healthiest counties in the state, while lagging behind its neighboring counties, according to a County Health Rankings report published today by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Multnomah County jumped from 8th to 6th healthiest of Oregon’s 36 counties in the annual study that ranks all United States counties based on how long people live and how healthy people feel. In Multnomah County, the percent of uninsured people had declined, leading to better access to primary care providers and dentists. People are more likely than in past years to get regular physical activity. And the rate of premature death is declining slightly.
Other indicators remain stagnant, such as adult smoking, obesity, excessive drinking, drunk driving deaths — leading drivers of chronic illness.
Better performing Oregon counties, including Washington and Clackamas counties, demonstrate lower rates of premature death, violent crime and report lower rates of sexually transmitted infections. They also benefit from lower rates of income inequality and better access to affordable housing.
Improving health outcomes are not shared equally among Oregon residents because systemic economic disparities affect physical and mental health. Children in Black and Native American families are more likely than children in White or Asian families to live in poverty, while Black, Asian and Latino families are more likely than White families to feel burdened by unaffordable housing costs. White Oregonians are more likely than non-White families to own their own homes.
Multnomah County, through its Board of Health, has begun work on a long-range plan to address some of these disparities, using a Community Health Improvement Plan to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities by improving policy, practice, and service delivery.
The Public Health Advisory Board proposed the Board of Commissioners start with tobacco control, access to fresh food and traffic safety while continuing its advocacy for affordable housing.
