Tioga County ranks 27th in County Health Rankings Report for 2019

Tioga County ranked 27 out of 62 counties in New York State for Health Outcomes. This is a huge improvement from where we ranked in 2018 at 40 out of 62 counties. 

County Health Rankings were established to help counties across the country know how they are performing with regard to health status and what influences our residents’ health. Here at Tioga County Public Health, we continuously work to improve the overall health of our community with a focus on areas for improvement. 

There have been some notable improvements this past year. There was a decrease in the percentage of youth (2 percent) and adults (6 percent) who are without health insurance. We also saw a decrease in teen birth rates (24 per 1,000, 15 -19 year olds) compared to (30 per 1,000, 15 -19 year olds) in 2017. Unemployed adults (5.1 percent), also continues to decrease. There was a decrease in driving deaths related to alcohol impairment. Tioga County continues to fall below the statewide average of children living in poverty, however, 51 percent of children in the county are on free or reduced lunch. 

Tioga County continues to target areas for improvement. Poor health behaviors put our residents at-risk. Adult obesity continues to be an area of focus as we have seen an increase from (29 percent) in 2017 to (33 percent) in 2019. Our county has seen a slight increase in adult smokers (17 percent) compared to (14 percent) in 2016. We also saw a decrease in mammography screenings (47 percent) compared to (67 percent) the year before. Substance abuse continues to be a huge area of concern, with a Drug Overdose Death Rate of 21 (per 100,000 individuals). 

“At Tioga County Public Health, we continue to promote a healthy lifestyle,” says Lisa McCafferty, director at Tioga County Public Health. “Positive health habits such as nutritious eating habits, getting plenty of sleep and regular physical activity are the most effective ways to health,” she added. 

The County Health Rankings give Tioga County Public Health a chance to address areas of concern and reach out to the public to raise awareness of our top health priority areas. Tioga County Public Health works with community partners including Tioga Opportunities, Tobacco Free Broome and Tioga, Tioga County Allies in Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), Anti-Hunger Task Force, Tioga Teens and Families, and the Family Enrichment Health Advisory Committee. Through these partnerships, we hope to continue educating and positively affecting the health of our county. 

For more information about the County Health Rankings and to compare Tioga County to other counties in New York State, visit www.tiogacountyny.com.