MONTICELLO >> For the last four years, Sullivan County’s health ranking has been near the bottom of the state’s barrel. In the “2015 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps” report released this week, Sullivan ranked 61st out of 62 counties in New York, above only the Bronx.
“The financial stability in the county and the poverty in the county are huge statistics that play into that,” said Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Scott Samuelson. “With what is going to happen in the next couple of years, I am hoping that’s going to turn around and help us move out of those rankings.”
County Public Health Director Nancy McGraw said poverty and joblessness “play such significant roles in these health statistic outcomes.” She, like Samuelson, believes things will turn around when a casino-resort opens at the former Condord hotel in Kiamesha Lake.
“Whenever you have an improvement in employment opportunities and there are opportunities for people to further their education, those are two factors that are directly related to health outcomes,” DeGraw said.
The county also is working to educate the public about preventable health problems, include substance abuse and obesity.
“There are tremendous efforts through collaborations with our county Public Health Department to promote healthy lifestyles, such as connecting agriculture with our local communities, expanding health care and providing education,” said Legislator Cindy Kurpil Gieger, chairwoman of the county Health and Family Committee. “We also need to address very real socioeconomic issues that exist in the county and work together to bring forth improvements.”
The new health rankings, issued Wednesday, put Ulster County 21st in the state, just out of the top third.
Dutchess County was ninth, Orange was 20th, Columbia was 35th and Greene was 60th, just above Sullivan.
Rockland County was at the top of the list.
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Related content
“EDITORIAL: Ulster County’s health needs improvement,” March 27, 2013
