Report outlines area’s shortcomings in health

March 17--For Yuba County residents, access to medical professionals is amongst the lowest in the state and a contributing factor to why the county ranks near the bottom in a newly released health report.

According to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Rankings & Roadmaps report, Yuba County's overall health mark is 48th out of the 58 counties in the state. Sutter County ranked only slightly better. The nationwide report, which compiled data from 2014-2016, breaks down a broad range of factors that may impact health for residents of every county in the U.S.

Nichole Quick, health officer for Yuba County's Public Health Division, said a recently completed community health assessment report also identified lack of access to medical professionals as being an obstacle the county faces.

"We recognize it as a problem," Quick said. "Recruiting and maintaining health professionals is one of the challenges the county faces. Right now is an exciting time in public health because we have just completed the assessment and are beginning to implement our improvement plan. We understand it is going to take strong partnerships in the community to improve resident's health."

The county's worst mark comes in the category of clinical health, in which it ranks second from the bottom. According to statistics in this category, Yuba County suffers from disproportionate resident-to-medical-provider ratios in primary care physicians at 4,380:1, dentists at 2,900:1, and mental health providers 570:1.

In comparison, top-ranked Marin County has significantly lower ratios, with 680:1 for primary care physicians, 880:1 for dentists and 140:1 for mental health providers.

Quick said it is important to note that Yuba and Sutter County residents live in close-knit communities and a significant number of people receive care in Yuba City, a point which the data does not reflect.

Substance abuse was also identified as a big concern in Yuba County's community health assessment report, Quick said. The ranking's report did not include drug overdose deaths or other metrics involving substance abuse as contributing to a county's overall score.

Just across the Feather River, the overall health scores for residents of Sutter County measure out slightly better.

With an overall score of 32, Sutter County's worst marks come in the categories of health behavior (40) and social & economic factors (40).

Of its worst health behavior marks were rates of obesity, which is measured as percentage of adults who have a 30 BMI (body mass index) or higher. Sutter County's rate of 30 percent trails only Kern (32 percent) and Tulare (33 percent) counties.

Of its worst social & economic factors is its children in poverty rate, which is measured as a percentage of children under 18 who live in poverty. Sutter County's rate of 25 percent is 5 percent higher than the state average, but is ahead of at least a dozen counties with a higher percentage. Yuba County has a 24 percent children in poverty rate.

Sutter County's best mark comes in the category of physical environment, as a low air pollution rating (7.1 percent) and no drinking water violations contribute to its 14th overall ranking. According to the report, air pollution is measured as the average daily density of fine particulate matter in micrograms per cubic meter. In this particular measure, most of the worst scores are in Southern California.

Colusa County

Much like Sutter County, Colusa County's overall mark of 29 is bolstered by its sixth overall ranking in the category of physical environment. Just like its neighbor to the east, Colusa County has a low mark in air pollution and no drinking water violations.

The factor putting Colusa County over the top is that only 20 percent of residents suffer from severe housing problems, which trails only three counties bordering Nevada in Northern California.

According to the report, the category is measured through four metrics: overcrowding, high housing costs, lack of kitchen and plumbing access.

Similar to Yuba County, Colusa County has disproportionate resident-to-medical provider ratios with 2,690:1 for primary care physicians, 2,700:1 for dentists and 570:1 for mental health providers. At 12 percent of the population under 65 without health insurance, Colusa County has one of the highest rates in the state.

Four of the top five counties with the highest overall marks in health are in the Bay Area, with nearby Placer County breaking the mold, ranking fourth.

Counties in the northern-most region of the state, as well as the Central Valley, rank among the lowest.

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