Maryland improved its overall ranking from 32nd in the nation to 28th, according to the 2007 America?s Health Rankings.
The 18th annual report by United Health Foundation ranks states according to personal behaviors like smoking, binge drinking and obesity; community factors like violent crime, poverty and infectious diseases, public health policy and access to clinical care.
“I think that this reinforces the fact that even if you have a wealthy state with a well-developed public health system, you?re not going to have a great health outcome until you invest a serious effort in health care,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.
Maryland ranks well in terms of access to care, with 179 primary care physicians for every 100,000 people, and scored well for low childhood poverty and a low prevalence of smoking, according to the report.
The report, produced by the United Health Foundation, American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, provides “a complete check-up for all Americans about the overall health of the nation and each state,” according to the release accompanying the report.
That?s important, Sharfstein said, because it gives public health officials like him a reality check about where they are and what they need to work on.
Serious challenges facing Maryland include a high incidence of infectious diseases at 36.9 cases per 100,000 people, high violent crime rate at 679 offenses per 100,000, and limited access to prenatal care ? nearly 30 percent of pregnant women do not get adequate treatment.
“A lot of this happens outside the medical system,” Sharfstein said. “Whether or not people smoke, whether they?re brought into the medical system and the safety of our communities ? things like that all relate to health, rather than just what goes on in the hospital.”
The report credited Maryland for significant reductions in the percentage of children in poverty, from 13.3 percent in 2006 to 10.9 percent in 2007; infant mortality dropped from 11.6 to 7.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in the same time period, and violent crimes dropped from 704 to 679 offenses per 100,000 people.
