Media Release

This press release put out at the request of the Alachua County Health Department.

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County recognizes the value in measuring health outcomes and today acknowledged the 5th annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps tool released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This study highlights the many community factors that influence health and uses established data, much of which is available from the Department at their website.

“The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County values the collaboration of all of our community partners.  Together, we continually advance public health issues assuring core services are provided.” stated Paul Myers, Administrator of the Florida Department of Health-Alachua.

These rankings are a snapshot of the health of counties across the country and they emphasize that health is not a singular effort but a combined work in progress across all community partners. The Department works in collaboration with local governments, non-profit organizations, health care facilities, business groups, schools, faith-based organizations and many other stakeholders to improve the health of all people in Alachua County. These rankings use data related to physical environments, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care.

In Alachua County, the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is designed to address specific opportunities for improved health that have been identified by the community. The Department has partnered with many stakeholders to implement the CHIP and collaborates regularly to track progress.   Improving access to healthcare and ensuring wellness are priorities set by Alachua County’s CHIP.  Supporting the safety net provider network and controlling influenza through the FLUMIST program are a few examples of local initiatives.

“The annual release of the County Health Rankings is always a time of reflection for those of us dedicated to community health.  The rankings are both a heartening recognition of just how hard and how well the community has worked together to achieve health improvement and a daunting reminder of how much harder still we have to work to make Alachua County the healthiest county in Florida.” stated Jeff Feller, CEO of WelIFlorida, Inc.

“We are pleased to partner with the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County in controlling influenza through our school located influenza program.” stated Dr. Kathleen Ryan, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Florida and member of the Emerging Pathogens Institute.

The Department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

For online information about the Florida Department of Health, visit their website, Facebook, or Twitter sites.

For more information, contact the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County’s Roger Dolz at 352-334-8873.