FRANK LEWIS
PDT Staff Writer
The Scioto County Health Coalition met recently in an attempt to pool resources from the community to battle the poor health statistics attributed to this region. Dr. Terry Johnson of the Coalition said one of the things the committee is working on is building a website the committee says will allow the public access to the information from Coalition meetings.
“It will be very useful to the public and to the folks working on the committee,” Johnson said. “It will also serve as our resource manual. So as we get three or four months down the road, hopefully people will be able to look on there and see what’s going on and how they can participate and how they can help direct it.”
A report released in April titled, “County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, A Healthier Nation, County by County,” shows Scioto County as one of Ohio’s unhealthiest counties.
The annual report, released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, examines every county in the United States and ranks them on a state level based on health outcomes and factors.
Scioto County ranks 87th out of 88th for health outcomes and 88th for health factors.
“Another thing we have noticed is, looking at our problems holistically, it is one thing for us to realize holistically that it’s more than just congestive heart failure (CHF) and hypertension that are contributing to our poor health statistics. It is one thing for us to realize that,” Johnson said. “It’s another thing to convey to the public that it is more than just health.”
Johnson said the health factors are all affected by lifestyle choices.
“So we need economic development,” Johnson said. “We need to strategically plan what goes on in our city and our county. When we look at our region, the lack of economic opportunity did not just happen in the last five years. It’s decade after decade of economic decline. We need to turn that around. Giving people jobs is giving people access to health insurance; gives people access to exercise facilities; it gives people hope and greater self esteem. All of these things contribute to turning things around. We are talking about changing our attitude and how we view ourselves.”
Johnson said in order for that to be accomplished, there is a need for complete cooperation across county and state lines.
“We need everybody to have an open, creative mind,” Johnson said. “How do we make things better in general, and then things will start to improve in our health indices.”
According to a report by Joshua Sherwood, Regional Epidemiologist for the Pike County General Health District, one of Scioto County’s statistics deals with smoking.
“Each year approximately 443,000 premature deaths occur primarily due to smoking. Cigarette smoking is identified as a cause in multiple diseases including various cancers, cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions, low birth weight, and other adverse health outcomes. Measuring the prevalence of tobacco use in the population can alert communities to potential adverse health outcomes and can be valuable for assessing the need for cessation programs or the effectiveness of existing programs,” Sherwood said in his report, adding, 36 percent of Scioto County residents smoke, compared to 22 percent statewide and 14 percent nationally.
Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com
2. Just bouncing around.
3. So, per the other article on the PCDO, housing is back to the PCDO from the Healthy Dept, flip flop, flip flop?
4. See the comments on that article if they get passed the MEGO"s (Messerly's Edict Gag Order)
5. Frank are you baiting us or is it what you have to work with?
6. Poor Health again but Johnson meanders from health to Economic Development and more and really mazes it up for us poor citizens? Smoke and Mirrors.
7. Oh, a website so we have to go search for our pubic information, PDT's is fading? Hey put it on Twitter? Hah.
8. Website, the City's Website that PDT"s tells us is dysfunctional
9. Creating more work that can be dysfunctional, transfer the dis-functionality
10. Ah, like the Gampp-gate we are told that we are to "participate and Direct." But where's the leadership, is that what they call grass roots, the leaders just collect their paycheck and perks and are "at the House?"
11. Oh, now we are told it's more than just Health, ready for this spin folks?
12. Ah, it's "us" again, our lifestyle choices?
13, And, then Johnson introduces "Economic Development" that the PCDO claims we can't have, they call it "industrialization," until we get the business and housing stock up to code?
Are you following this readers?
14. Now how did we jump from Health considerations to Econ Development? WOW?
15. You know what, at least the term is sinking into Johnson's brain? Maybe, Maybe not?
16. It's now we view ourselves not the leaders? Have we seen this movie before?
17. Across the county and state lines, where's that going? To no Accountability?
We are building to a conclusion, follow along.
18. What Jibber Jabber like the PCDO article and worst?
19. What about the CAO, The COAD, The SOPA, The Regional Commission,and others who's pay and perks we pay and we can't even remember who they all are but they get paid and retire, etc?
20. Is that the retirements that the Governor's in this country are cutting to balance the budget's, hey we are catching on?
21. This Johnson is bouncing back and forth, healthy, Econ Dev. Health, Econ Dev. Health, etc.
22. Ain't this a pathological condition of some kind maybe ADHA, and he needs riddle-lin?
23. Then he ends up with smoking that "we" are killing ourselves with, the dog whistle message is, it's us folks not the leaders?
24. Does Johnson want his life back like that BP exec? What a hoot this guy is, fits right in, huh?
What his day job? More Dole..............