We all know we aren’t alone in making New Year’s resolutions to be healthier in 2015—we see friends and family making many of the same commitments to eat better and move more. But did you know many state leaders across the country also make resolutions to improve the health of their constituents?
This isn’t a one-time, one-year resolution. Many states are hard at work identifying measurable solutions for better health year after year, and for those states, America’s Health Rankings® data serves as a valuable tool. One such state is Oklahoma, which ranks 46th in overall health according to the 2014 America’s Health Rankings Report. The Oklahoma Academy recently published a Town Hall report entitled “We Can Do Better: Improving the Health of the Oklahoma People.” Citing America’s Health Rankings data, along with other important statistics and studies on Oklahoman’s health, the goal of the Town Hall was “to begin a vigorous discussion on how we in Oklahoma can do better to improve our health.”
United Health Foundation applauds every state’s efforts to first define challenges and then create pathways to better health. I encourage you to take a moment to watch Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Thought Leader Perspective video, which he recorded for our Thought Leaders Perspective initiative. In celebration of the Rankings 25th report, the United Health Foundation asked notable leaders from the public health, legislative, academic, business, technology and consumer arenas—leaders such as Gov. Hickenlooper—to provide us with their reflections on important achievements and challenges in American health in the past 25 years and their aspirations for the next 25 years.
Even though Colorado already ranks among the top 10 healthiest states, its governor enumerates issues that continue to challenge the state and explains how Colorado is working toward addressing them, with the goal of becoming the healthiest state in the nation.
Do you know how your state ranks, or of efforts already under way to improve its overall health? What would you like your state to tackle in 2015? Share your thoughts and aspirations for your state’s health with United Health Foundation on our Facebook page or tweet us @AHR_Rankings.
Blog Author
Kate Rubin
Kate Rubin is vice president of Social Responsibility for UnitedHealth Group and president of the United Health Foundation.
With corporate philanthropy totaling nearly $60 million in 2011 and initiatives targeting chronic diseases around the globe, UnitedHealth Group and its employees work to maximize efforts and opportunities, including foundations, volunteerism, community involvement and commitment to the environment, to make a positive impact on people’s health and their communities.
Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Ms. Rubin served nine years as president of the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA), the largest technology trade organization in the state. Ms. Rubin was a business unit executive with IBM where she led a $100 million, 100 person technology group and managed multiple entrepreneurial start-up operations in marketing, sales, service and systems integration across a broad set of industries in many geographies.
Ms. Rubin serves on the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs Advisory Board, and the State of Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board.
Ms. Rubin holds a B.B.A. in marketing and industrial relations from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota.