Jacksonville,Fla.—The Florida Department of Health in Duval County recognizes the value in measuring health outcomes and today acknowledged the 2018 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps tool released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This study highlights the many community factors that influence health and uses established data, much of which is available from the department atwww.flhealthcharts.gov.

"The County Health Rankings are a starting point for change, helping communities come together, identify priorities, and create coalitions that will help members of our diverse community live healthier lives," said Kelli Wells, MD, Director of DOH-Duval. "Duval County is fortunate to have many community partners who work together to improve health and quality of life in our community. These collaborative efforts have made Duval County a better place to live, learn, work and play as is evidenced by our improved ranking."

These rankings are a snapshot of the health of counties across the country and they emphasize that health is not a singular effort but a combined work in progress across all community partners. The department works in collaboration with local governments, non-profit organizations, health care facilities, business groups, schools, faith-based organizations and many other stakeholders to improve the health of all people in Duval County. These rankings use data related to physical environments, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care.

In Duval County, the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is designed to address specific opportunities for improved health that have been identified by the community. The CHIP also defines how public health system partners will work together to address health priorities. The result is a well-crafted roadmap to improve health outcomes that we will review and revise annually to respond to emerging challenges. The department has partnered with many stakeholders to implement the CHIP and collaborates regularly to track progress in reaching objectives for the following priority areas:

• Healthy Families and Healthy Babies
• Healthiest Weight
• Behavioral Health
• Access to Care

"Our improved overall health ranking shows great progress and promise for our city," said Mayor Lenny Curry. "When launching our health initiative Journey to One in 2016, we sought to highlight the importance of citizen and community well-being on the success and vitality of our city. I remain committed to implementing and bolstering practices, programs and partnerships that ensure every citizen in every ZIP code has the access to resources, information and opportunities to live well."

"We’re thrilled to see the Jacksonville community coming together to focus on the biggest health challenges that we face," said Deb Galloway, Humana Medicare President for North and Central Florida. "The fact that we have improved in overall health rankings reinforces the impact of our Bold Goal to make the community 20% healthier by 2020 and the work we’re doing together with our partners at the Health Department, Academic institutions and nonprofit organizations who all share the same passion for a healthier Jacksonville."

To explore more health indicators in your county, visit www.flhealthcharts.gov.

About the Florida Department of Health