Whitman County ranked third healthiest in Washington

Whitman County is the third healthiest county in Washington state, Health Department Director Fran Martin told commissioners last month.

Martin presented results from countyhealthrankings.org, a report put together by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“What it says is mainly that we do a good job,” said Martin.

Counties are ranked based on the number of people who die before age 75, those reporting fair or poor health, the number of days citizens report poor mental health and the rate of low-birthweight infants. Those reports are weighed against behavioral, social and economic factors to determine the ranking.

The study ranks several factors in a county’s overall health. Whitman County ranked third in health factors and health outcomes.

Martin said the lifestyle of the Palouse was influential in the area’s health.

The study agrees, ranking Whitman County number one in the state in how social and economic factors affect the population’s health. The county also ranked third in behaviors, though the county’s clinical care was much further down the list.

“I think this shows what I have always thought,” said Commissioner Greg Partch. “We have the best - at least considering our population - health department in the state.”

Partch credited Martin for coming up with unique funding sources to continue her department’s efforts. Many other counties in the state, he said, have relied on funding from the state and federal governments to fund their operations.

Martin said the county’s budget constraints have made those efforts harder, noting her department is down to six nurses, including herself.

“That’s why we’re trying to keep what we have running,” Martin said of her department. “Otherwise that won’t be so good in the future”