Wasatch County ranks first in health statewide

A comparison of life expectancy and quality of life puts Wasatch County in first place among the state’s 28 counties. Summit County is third on the list, behind Morgan County in second place.

County Health Rankings is a University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute service sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Wasatch County Health Director Jonelle Fitzgerald told the Wasatch County Council Wednesday the report is "really good news."

The survey measured health outcomes based on how long people live and factors related to their physical and mental health.

Rankings take into account the availability of basic resources, healthcare and governmental support of people’s health.

Wasatch County Health Department epidemiologist Chris Smoot said while it’s hard to pinpoint exact reasons the county scored so high, geographic and socioeconomic factors help.

“I believe all of those aspects play a role, demographics as well as resources, and just the access to opportunities for recreation up here as well,” Smoot said. “People like to get outdoors and run and ski and bike and horseback ride and play pickleball and all sorts of things. And as we encourage people to continue their physical fitness, that helps with health status as well.”

He said recent additions to the Heber Valley Hospital like a new family medicine clinic also meet people’s needs. And what residents can't find in Wasatch County, they can find in nearby Salt Lake City, Utah County and Summit County.

Also, many residents in Wasatch County are already healthy, and have the means to stay that way.

“We have a fairly healthy population,” Smoot said. “A large portion of the population tends to be in the higher socioeconomic status, which in turn can lead to greater access to resources, whether those are healthcare resources, fitness resources or foods or that kind of thing.”

Despite demographic shifts as the population quickly grows, Smoot acknowledged socioeconomic status still varies widely in the county. He said that’s where his office can help and encouraged people in need to reach out for information.

When it comes to life expectancy alone, county health rankings placed Summit County first and Wasatch County third in Utah.

Fitzgerald also told the council the county outperformed statewide and nationwide in several ways last year. She cited data from the state health department.

For example, last year’s obesity rate was lower than state and national averages, as well as adults with diabetes and people with health considered only fair or poor.

One area where the county doesn't rate highly is its percentage of residents with no health insurance, which stands at 19%. That’s higher than the rest of the state, which is 12.8%, and the rest of the country, which is 8%.

Smoot said his department’s community health workers and nurses can help residents review options for health insurance, Medicaid and other programs.

A recording of Fitzgerald’s presentation and the county council meeting is available at wasatch.utah.gov.