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Tallahassee, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health announced today the release of the 2018 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps (Rankings). A collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the Rankings are a snapshot of the health of counties across the country. Data used to determine the Rankings include information about physical environments, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care. The Rankings are compiled using county-level measures from a variety of national and state data sources, much of which is available from the department on www.flhealthcharts.gov.

“Our county health departments work hand in hand with local leaders and community partners to address the many individual and environmental factors that impact health,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary Dr. Celeste Philip. “Improving Floridians’ health requires collaboration across public and private sectors to strengthen all parts of the community. The data in the Rankings serves as an indicator for counties to determine the effectiveness of their community interventions and other potential areas of need.”

Much of the health data used by the Rankings to compile its snapshots are also used by the department to identify priority issues, develop and implement strategies for action, and establish accountability to ensure measurable health improvement is achieved, which are outlined in population-based Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) in each county.

Florida’s counties continue to be national leaders in health improvement planning, and in 2013, Florida became one of the first states to have a CHIP in each of our 67 counties. Each CHIP defines a vision and roadmap for improving the health of the community and is developed in collaboration with local governments, non-profit organizations, health care professionals, business groups, schools, faith-based organizations and many other stakeholders. As new health data becomes available, CHIPs are updated accordingly.

At the state level, data and evidence-based strategies are used to inform the department’s strategic plan and State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). The department along with state agencies and community partners has recently completed the 2017-2021 SHIP, which will be publicly available soon. More information on the process is available here.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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