Annual rankings give nod to health of Placer community

Published on March 14, 2018

Placer County continues to hold the top spot among California counties for quality of life, according to results from the ninth annual County Health Rankings.

Placer is ranked fourth in the state for overall health outcomes and third for health factors. It is the only county outside of the Bay Area to make the top five. The rankings are based on a variety of factors and published annually by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The rankings highlight some of the factors that make Placer a desirable community to live, work and play — from amazing recreational opportunities to strong schools, businesses and more — while also presenting opportunities for improvement.

“We’re proud to celebrate what Placer does well, while recognizing that we can do even better. These rankings don’t just take medical care into account, but also the extent to which all residents of Placer County can access other important resources like housing, education, employment, healthy foods, walkable neighborhoods and clean air,” said Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham. “All of these factors influence our residents’ health, and that’s why we continue to work toward progress on multiple fronts.”

The county’s recently-released Community Health Improvement Plan (PDF) offers a five-year blueprint guiding Placer’s local public health system, including the Public Health Division and community partners, on how to best improve community health. The CHIP identifies key areas of focus for improvement and specific actions that will be taken to reach measurable goals.

The plan’s focus areas are health and wellness; healthcare access and behavioral health; and communication and collaboration — which may include specific actions targeting everything from the obesity crisis to the shortage of providers offering Medi-Cal and Denti-Cal.

The plan emerged from an extensive process involving research, community feedback and assessment. A group of community stakeholders began convening in late 2017 to work toward the goals outlined in the CHIP, and their progress will be evaluated on a yearly basis.

Individuals and organizations who wish to contribute toward efforts to improve community health as part of the CHIP may contact the Public Health Division at 530-886-3632. Explore more data around health in your community.