LAS VEGAS — Clark County ranks 6th out of the 16 counties in Nevada assessed for health outcomes as part of the annual County Health Rankings. The County Health Rankings are released each year using data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) and are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
The County Rankings provide a snapshot of local health data. The Rankings allow each state to see how its counties compare on a range of health outcomes and factors, including education, access to health and mental health care, the physical environment, social and economic factors, smoking, access to healthy foods and more. This year the program has a focus on the connection between civic health and how that can positively impact health equity. The new factors to measure civic infrastructure and participation in counties include access to parks, school funding adequacy, broadband, voter turnout and self-reported census participation.
Health District staff and partners presented Health Rankings finding for Clark County at a community event today. Some of the findings the Rankings reported for Clark County include that 14 percent of the population under age 65 did not have health insurance, the ratio of primary care physicians to population was 1,760:1 and mental health providers was 440:1, and 3,230 hospital stays per 100,000 people enrolled in Medicare may have been prevented by outpatient treatment.
“Each year, the County Health Rankings provide insight into both the challenges we face and progress we are making in our efforts to raise the health status of our community,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer of the Health District. “As part of our own efforts to assess the health our community, we worked with our partners to complete a comprehensive strategic planning process that resulted in our Community Health Improvement Plan released this January. In that plan, chronic disease and access to care were among the identified priority areas that assist in directing our evidence-based response and efforts to positively impacting the health of Clark County residents,” said Dr. Leguen.
Over the past four years, the Health District has taken steps to provide greater access to care with the expansion of primary care services. In 2018, it opened what is now the Southern Nevada Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, at its main location at 280 S. Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107, and recently began operating a second location, the Fremont Public Health Center, at 2380 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV 89104. The community health center locations offer primary care, family planning, HIV/AIDS care, behavioral and mental health services, and more. For more information go to www.snchc.org.
Health District staff and partners are presenting the Health Rankings finding for Clark County at a community event today. The agency is committed to working with the community to use data and information from sources such as the County Rankings to enhance and improve upon programs, services and policies that are vital to building a healthy community.