(Spirit Lake)—Dickinson county has moved up considerably in the latest county health rankings compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The latest rankings have Dickinson county rated 12th out of Iowa’s 99 counties, compared to 48th last year.
Largest improvements were seen in mortality rates, the percentage of poor physical health days, and items related to clinical care such as prevalence of receiving diabetic screens. Gaps identified in Dickinson county’s health included adult smoking rates, prevalence of mammography screenings, percentage of uninsured residents and the violent crime rate.
County health officials say while their thrilled with the big improvement, more work remains to be done. They’re hoping the Blue Zones designation will improve the county’s ranking even more.
The county health rankings take into consideration factors such as healthy behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment.
