W.Va. health: Down, but not out
America's Health Rankings for this year are out, and it is hardly surprising that West Virginia ranks near the bottom, 47th this time. What's new and what's encouraging is the appetite for change shown across the state, from individual schoolrooms all the way up to the Legislature.
* Healthy lifestyles could reduce the need for federal spending, especially for Medicare and Medicaid.
* Laws and regulations should be put in place to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for cheaper drugs.
* States whose Congressional representatives and residents vigorously support programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, tend to be very healthy.
* The 10 healthiest states include: all six New England states, Hawaii, Minnesota, Utah and New Jersey.
* Political leaders in the least healthy states, particularly in the Deep South, often oppose funding federal programs that help their own residents.
* The Deep South has six of the 10 least healthy states: Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Changes West Virginians make now will not only improve the health and future prospects of today's adults, but will set an example for children, the next generation of parents, workers and taxpayers.
West Virginia must keep this ball rolling.
America's Health Rankings for this year are out, and it is hardly surprising that West Virginia ranks near the bottom, 47th this time. What's new and what's encouraging is the appetite for change shown across the state, from individual schoolrooms all the way up to the Legislature.
Today, Americans are living longer, which may explain, at least in part, why Americans are also sicker, Reed Tuckson of the United Health Foundation said in USA Today.
No one knows that better than West Virginia, where a largely older population and regional characteristics combine to give West Virginia poorer health measures than the rest of the nation. (Across America, 27.8 percent of all adults are obese, while 26.2 percent are physically inactive and 21.2 percent smoke.)
But unlike previous years, West Virginians have more reason for optimism. Around the state, individuals, schools, churches, health care providers and other groups are identifying beginning steps to help each other take better care of their bodies. Motivated at least partly by Gazette reporter Kate Long's year-long project "The Shape We're In," state residents are making healthy changes within their spheres of influence. During legislative interim meetings this month, lawmakers heard recommendations on increasing the tobacco tax, banning soft drinks in high schools and making school gyms available after school. Sen. Ron Miller, D-Greenbrier, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the issue involves everyone, and suggested several committees collaborate.
"If we work together, we might get somewhere," he said.
Well put.
Among the other points emphasized by the United Health Foundation:
* Healthy lifestyles could reduce the need for federal spending, especially for Medicare and Medicaid.
* Laws and regulations should be put in place to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for cheaper drugs.
* States whose Congressional representatives and residents vigorously support programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, tend to be very healthy.
* The 10 healthiest states include: all six New England states, Hawaii, Minnesota, Utah and New Jersey.
* Political leaders in the least healthy states, particularly in the Deep South, often oppose funding federal programs that help their own residents.
* The Deep South has six of the 10 least healthy states: Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Changes West Virginians make now will not only improve the health and future prospects of today's adults, but will set an example for children, the next generation of parents, workers and taxpayers.
West Virginia must keep this ball rolling.
Get Connected