For the second year in a row, Alachua cracked Florida’s top 20 in a nationwide county health ranking.
The study, conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, used data from national sources to illustrate trends and outline problems for counties.
Roger Dolz, quality improvement program administrator for Florida Department of Health in Alachua County, said he and other officials were proud of the county’s high ranking — 17th in health outcomes and second in health factors out of a total of 67 counties.
“We are No. 1 in access to care, as well as in clinical care,” Dolz said, adding that the UF community and the three major hospitals in the area contribute to the county’s success.
Despite the high overall ranking, Alachua ranked lower in some individual categories such as community safety and air-and-water quality. The county ranked No. 34 in both.
For some students, like first-year pharmacy student Hana Cho, the county’s emphasis on health was a deciding factor for attending college there. Cho said she chose UF in part due to the proximity to UF Health Shands Hospital.
“I believe that UF and the county play a role and are a pioneer in the advancement of health care,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 3/31/2014 under the headline "Alachua County places highly in national health rankings"]
