County Health Leaders Work Together to Improve Health Status of Residents

by Contributor | April 7, 2016 8:59 am

The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, released the annual County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Report on March 16, which reveals that Oswego County is making improvements with the health of its population.

Oswego County improved its standing in both the Health Outcomes and Health Factors categories when compared to the other 62 counties in New York State.

Health outcomes are measured based on length of life and quality of life.

Health factors are determined by health behaviors, and include several subcategories, including clinical care, social and economic factors, physical environment and health behaviors. Health behaviors include smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity to name a few.

Recently the county’s health and human service leaders, Chuck Gijanto, president and CEO of Oswego Health; Daniel Dey, president and CEO of Northern Oswego County Health Services Inc.; Diane Cooper-Currier, executive director of Oswego County Opportunities; Marti Babcock, Oswego County acting commissioner of Social Services; and Jiancheng Huang, Oswego County director of Public Health, met and formed a partnership to lead the county’s population health improvements through collaborative healthcare, prevention and social services.

“This new partnership between our groups is an exciting step forward in Oswego County. We all realize that none of us can address the issues alone, but together we will be much stronger and able to marshal the resources to address the health problems impacting our region,” Gijanto said.

Among the healthcare organizations working to improve local health is Northern Oswego County Health Services.

“We continue to build on the Patient-Centered Medical Home designation, which promotes a comprehensive, team-based, coordinated and accessible model of care that is focused on quality and safety,” said  Dey. “But good clinical care is only part of the whole picture of good health.”

According to the county health rankings, Oswego County’s ratio of primary care physicians to the population is more than 100 percent lower than the state average (1:2,830 vs. 1:1,210), but our diabetic patient monitoring rate is four percent better than the state average (90% vs. 86%).

This data shows that clinicians are doing an excellent job taking care of county residents.

The same is valid in a regional comparison as the county has the lowest physician to population ratio, but the highest monitoring rate among surrounding counties.

Other statistics reveal that the county has higher rates of hospitalization due to short-term complications of diabetes for both pediatric and adult patients.

Pediatric admissions are more than 25 percent above the state average, while adult admissions are more than five percent higher than the state average.

The county statistics can be viewed as a reflection on the larger issues facing the county.

“The county health rankings include social and economic factors,” explained Cooper-Currier. “These are called socioeconomic determinants of health. Rural settings and its social and economic factors negatively impact our health status. We have many social service programs in the county. These services are designed to improve resident’s health and social conditions.”

“We do have many programs,” Babcock added. “As a rural community, we have many challenges to delivering services, such as transportation and housing. By working together as a partnership, we may not get additional resources but, collaboratively, we can use existing resources efficiently to help the community.”

Staff members from Oswego Health, the County Health Department and others have been collaborating for years as they develop programs that address health issues as part of their respective state-required health improvement plans.

This year for the first time, Oswego Health and the County Health Department are preparing a joint Community Service Plan.

The CPS will establish prevention agenda items that will include specific health goals to be accomplished for the county.

Previously, the two entities completed separate plans, typically on different timelines.

Oswego Health completed a CSP, while the county wrote a Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.

Officials believe this joint plan to be a more efficient approach to healthcare concerns in the county.

“To improve the health status of the community, individuals and institutes/organizations in the county must start to take ownership. Good health is everyone’s business,” said Huang. “There are programs and services offered and local communities are developing new programs to encourage people to be physically active and healthy. I hope residents take advantage of these free health improvement initiatives.”

In the county, one of the evidence-based programs to improve the community’s health are healthy living workshops, developed by Stanford University.

Oswego Health and the County Health Department regularly offer the free six-week classes that teach individuals with chronic diseases how to improve their quality of life.

The coordinators of these programs struggle to achieve the required enrollment of ten residents.

Those interested can contact Oswego Health at 349-5513 or the Oswego County Health Department at 349-3547.

The county health and social service leaders look forward to working with the community to address its health issues.

“We encourage residents and employers in the community to take on a healthier lifestyle and encourage their neighbors and employees to as well,” said Gijanto. “We must all work together to improve the quality of life in Oswego County.”

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/community/county-health-leaders-work-together-to-improve-health-status-of-residents/

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