KCPH reflects on County Rankings & Roadmaps

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KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps were released today by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Local, state and national information is available at countyrankings.org.

“We are making some strong progress over time in some areas of community health,” said Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) Director Jennifer Little. “A six percent drop in those reporting poor or fair health is significant, especially considering the data comes from the first year of the pandemic.

 “These annual updates provide a measurement of how Klamath County is doing. It’s best to look at our performance over time, instead of focusing on where we rank amongst 36 counties. We have control over our own health, which influences where the county stands,” she said.

Many of the elements measured in the rankings have been monitored since 2010 and ten in particular reflect overall trends affecting health from a big-picture perspective. These are:

• Adults reporting poor or fair health

• Number of monthly days of poor physical health

• Number of monthly days of poor mental health

• Percentage of adult smokers

• Percentage of adult obesity

• Percentage of adult excessive drinking

• Sexually transmitted infection rate

• Percentage of single-parent households

• Drug overdose death rate

• Percentage of adult diabetes

“While there are 13 areas considered in the health outcomes ranking and 32 in the health factors, KCPH urges the community to watch Klamath County’s performance over time in these ten areas,” said Little. “We work with our Healthy Klamath coalition partners to create a snapshot of local health through documentation such as the 2021 Community Health Assessment and the 2022-25 Klamath County Community Health Improvement Plan.”

There have definitely been changes over time with the health rankings, but data lags by at about three years, said Little. “It will be very important for us to watch these benchmarks in the future to help offset any pandemic contributing factors,” she said.

The 2023 measures for Oregon (13%) and the United States (12%) were lower than Klamath County’s 16% mark. This data is from 2020, the inaugural year of the pandemic. A drop of six percentage points is significant and the measurement offered in 2024 will show if there is an on-going trend.

The measurements for Oregon (2.9) and the United States (3.0) were lower than Klamath County’s 3.8 days. This data is also from 2020 and reflects a full day of difference from the all-time high of five days in 2021.

The United States measure was 4.4 days, with Oregon following at 4.6. Again, the data is from 2020. It is concerning that local residents are experiencing a full work week of poor mental health days each month. Mental health is one of the focus areas of the 2022-25 Klamath County Community Health Improvement Plan.

Klamath County measures above the nation (16%) and state (14%) for smoking prevalence. Interventions are ongoing by Public Health and other community agencies, including Healthy Klamath.

Klamath County is a percentage better than the nation at 32%, with Oregon at 28% overall. Obesity is an issue across the lifespan and community efforts continue to engage people to be more active. Physical activity is one of the health improvement plan focus areas.

Klamath County again ties the nation with a 19% showing for excessive drinking. Oregon measured 20% overall. Substance use prevention, including alcohol, drugs and tobacco is an element of the community health improvement plan.

Klamath County measures between the nation (481) and state (376). This data is from 2020 and sexually-transmitted infection testing at KCPH slowed during the pandemic. Sexually-active adults should be tested at least once a year.

Klamath County was tied with the nation (25%), but well above the state (21%). Single-parent households tend to have more stress than those with two parents able to share responsibilities. 

Oregon’s overall drug overdose rate was 16, but nationwide efforts are underway to deal with the opioid issue. The national rate was 23 per 100,000 population. Overdose prevention is a very active health promotion activity for KCPH and its partners. 

Oregon’s adult diabetes prevalence is 8%, with the nation at 9%. Klamath County has improved the statistic in the last three years, but ongoing work is necessary to keep the community aware of strategies to keep Type 2 diabetes at bay.

“We are all in this together,” said Little. “There is still time to take personal action to improve Klamath County’s rankings. Community members can work with local agencies, such as Healthy Klamath and the Seniors Center to combine efforts with others. In addition to the ways we think about our personal health, through diet and exercise, there are also opportunities to make changes to the environment, policies and related systems. For instance, some businesses require snacks for meetings be healthy. Other coalitions work to ensure substance abuse prevention work reaches all youth. Meanwhile, there are residents who have helped ensure locally grown food reaches school cafeterias.”