America Scores Low on Public Health Report Card, Says Association
To: National Desk, Health Care Writer
Contact: Lorie Slass, Rowena Daly or Tony Podesta of the
American Public Health Association, 202-544-6906
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 -- Poverty, poor education, environmental
neglect, risky behavior and lack of access to medical care have
placed our health care system in critical condition, according
to a new American Public Health Association report,
"America's Public Health Report Card."
The "Report Card," a state-by-state analysis of public health,
establishes new guidelines for gauging health in America.
"Our medical care focuses on treatment rather than prevention --
treating people after they get sick, rather than making sure they
don't get sick in the first place," said Joyce Lashof, president of
the APHA. "If we are truly to improve the health of our nation we
will need to address the underlying determinants of health through
public health action."
The United States' failure in public health is glaringly evident
in comparison to other developed nations, according to APHA's report:
The United States is:
-- 28th in the rate of infants born with low birth weight, worse
than Jordan, Ireland and Costa Rica;
-- 8th in the percentage of children vaccinated against polio,
behind Greece, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia;
-- 15th in the rate of maternal mortality, worse than Greece,
Italy and Spain;
-- and 9th in life expectancy, behind Japan, Spain and Canada.
"America offers the most advanced medical technology and the most
refined prescription drugs in the world, yet fares worse than other
developed countries on a vast array of health indicators," said Dr.
Helen Rodriguez-Trias, president-elect of the APHA. "We need to
broaden the discussion to address other factors that contribute to
our current health care crisis."
The "Report Card" examines the current status of public health for
each state by examining the following five categories: access to
medical care; healthy environment; healthy behavior that avoids
unnecessary illness and injuries; healthy neighborhoods; and
community health services that make sure everyone can get basic
preventive treatment. The report is a benchmark for the United
States and where individual states stand.
The "Report Card" ranks states by quartiles in each category, with
the first quartile containing states with the best ranking health
indicators and the fourth containing those with the worst.
States that rank in the first quartile for more than three
categories: Hawaii, Maryland, New York, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington.
States that rank in the fourth quartile for more than three
categories: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.
While some states fare better than others in particular
categories, there are no states that are in the first quartile for
all categories.
"Policy makers must recognize that programs which make the link
between education, prevention and public health as a whole will
ultimately be the most cost-effective approach to the health crisis,"
added Lashof.
"America's Public Health Report Card" is being released as part of
APHA's Annual Meeting, Nov. 9 to 12 in Washington, D.C.
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NOTE: Additional copies of "America's Public Health Report Card"
are available from the American Public Health Association, 1015
15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, or by calling 202-789-5600.
The American Public Health Association, a nongovernmental
professional society founded in 1872, is the largest organization of
public health professionals in the world, and the foremost publisher
of public health related books and periodicals, promoting scientific
standards, action, and public policy for good health.
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