Florida Department of Health in Pasco County Addresses County Health Rankings 

The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County recognizes the value in measuring health outcomes and today acknowledged the 2017 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.

“We are encouraged that Pasco’s health outcomes are on the rise, people are living longer and hopefully healthier lives,” says Mike Napier, County Health Officer. “We continue to work with community partners to address local health issues and have recently identified priority areas to move us even further ahead.”

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 Pasco County. These rankings use data related to physical environments, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care.

In Pasco County, the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is currently in progress and is designed to address specific opportunities for improved health that have been identified by the community. The department has partnered with many stakeholders to identify priorities and will
implement the CHIP and collaborate regularly to track progress.

Recently community partners met and are developing plans to address identified health issues for Pasco. Priority issues include Infectious Disease, over all well-being, infant mortality and access to care.

Cathy Pearson, Assistant County Administrator, Public Services stated “I am happy to be a part of a process that brings community partners together to address our health concerns here in Pasco and I am excited about health improvements in our community.”

Kathleen Yeater with DOH-Pasco and other staff recently facilitated a meeting with infectious disease stakeholders. “Although infectious disease is not a direct measure on the county health rankings our collaborative efforts to address these diseases in Pasco can impact our length of life and I look forward to this group making a difference.