Join us on January 31, 2012, at 2:00 pm CST (3:00 pm EST) for this special topics webinar featuring guest speakers from the American heart Association. Click here to register.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is easier if you live in a healthy community. Unfortunately, there are location-based disparities throughout the nation and many people live in communities where leading a healthy lifestyle is difficult.

The goal of the County Health Rankings project, which has given Wyandotte County low marks for health but high praise for its commitment to change, is to bring these hidden health factors to light.

When you think about improving the health of people in your community, what comes to mind? Improving access to and the quality of medical services? Yes. Increasing access to recreation opportunities or nutritious food? For sure. Cleaning the air or water? Absolutely. These all are critical ways to improve the health of community members.

Twelve coalitions across the United States have been awarded Roadmaps to Health Community Grants of up to $200,000 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to improve the health of people living in those communities.

A series of articles published today in the policy journal Health Affairs examines the burgeoning collaboration between the community development and health sectors to build healthy communities. 

The 139th annual American Public Health Association (APHA) meeting is coming up (October 29-November 2) in Washington, D.C. and the County Health Rankings will be there! Find out more about the many sessions we’ll be participating in.

West Virginia has one of the highest obesity rates in the country and McDowell County is no exception, where more than a third of adults are obese. Here in this Appalachian coal-mining enclave in the southernmost tip of the state, a local community health center called the Tug River Health Association took an unusual step to combat this problem by offering its patients gym memberships.

Today is Walk to School Day, and children, parents, teachers and community leaders in all 50 states are dusting off their sneakers, getting out their bikes and taking part.

Many people think of the city lifestyle as unhealthy, associating it with noise, pollution, crime, dense populations, a fast pace, and high stress levels. But cities once infamous for pollution, crime, crowding and infectious diseases have cleaned up their act.

On October 30, 2011, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be offering an internet-based Learning Institute on the County Health Rankings at the American Public Health Association conference. Scholarships are available to cover the $200 fee for this Learning Institute.

One of the earliest indicators of a child’s future health and wellbeing is whether he or she lives in poverty. That’s why it it’s a key health factor measured by the County Health Rankings.

Want to learn more about the County Health Rankings in action? View our archive of past webinars at http://match.wisc.edu/countyhealthrankings/webinars/.

Like the County Health Rankings, the National Prevention Strategy, which was released in June 2011, recognizes that good health is shaped by more than just access to quality care. Health also depends on many other influences, including health behaviors, the environment, education and neighborhood safety—things that can help prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place.

The second year of the County Health Rankings is well underway. Already counties are taking proactive steps to address local health concerns through new programs, awareness campaigns and, increasingly, through laws and policy initiatives.