We at America’s Health Rankings® get truly excited when we think about the subtitle of our report: A Call to Action for Individuals and Their Communities. While we enjoy the process of assembling and communicating the data and drawing conclusions about the overall health of our nation and individual states, we never forget that our main purpose is to stimulate personally appropriate health behaviors and targeted community initiatives to improve health.
I’ve made an observation after many years of fighting for the optimal health of our nation: The communities in which we live, work, and raise our families contribute significantly to our ability to maintain, improve or restore our health. The impact can’t be under-estimated, but it doesn’t mean that your community can’t change.
If you’ve not already done so, I urge you to click this link to the Take Action section of our website. Once there, depending on your interests and personal characteristics, you’ll find sections geared towards you whether you’re an employer, elected official, individual or public health leader. You’re sure to find innovative initiatives that make sense for you and can help you improve the health of your family, your employees and even your community at large.
What I really hope you’ll do is to use this information to be a catalyst, to reach out to and work with others to bring multiple resources and ideas to the table in order to tackle locally specific health challenges.
One final word: Given the importance of promoting health and fighting disease at a community level, we need much better science-based information about what works and the cost-effectiveness of interventions. I urge you to familiarize yourself with, and to support, the Centers for Disease Control Guide to Community and Preventive Services. You can find it here.
Remember – this report is a Call to Action, not just for others, but for you. Visit our site, find a way to get involved, familiarize yourself with the CDC’s tools, start leading a healthier life. Today.