As Florida Department of Health in Orange and Seminole Counties gear up to celebrate 125 years of public health, the state continues to rank poorly in terms of overall health.
According to the 2013 America’s Health Rankings report released by United Health Foundation, Florida ranked 33rd out of all 50 states, worse that it did in 2012, when it ranked 31.
Despite its low ranking, Gov. Rick Scott and his administration continue to resist the Affordable Care Act and have declined billion in federal aid to expand insurance coverage to Florida’s poorest residents through the government Medicaid program.
In addition to the significant number of uninsured Floridians, the report notes that the SunShine state fares even worse when it comes to diabetes with an increasing proportion of the population in 2013, 11.4%, suffering from the disease, up from 9.8% in 2010. On this measure, Florida ranks 42nd, nationwide.
Health disparities along racial and ethnic lines remain. According to the 2013 report, 37.7 percent of Blacks and 30.3 percent of Hispanics were considered obese. This compares with 26.5 percent of whites and 9.7% of Asians. There are health disparities too, when it comes to the population suffering from diabetes. The report found that about 13.2% of Blacks compared to 10.6% of whites suffered from the disease. For Hispanics and Asians, it’s 12.2% and 7%, respectively.
The report finds some gains as this relates to smokers. The 2013 report states that, 17.7 percent of the population smoked, down from 19.3 percent the year before, but slightly higher than the 17.1 percent recorded in each of the years, 2010 and 2011.
So, if you are still interested in celebrating 125 years of public health, on Thursday, February 20, the Orange and Seminole Health Departments will be holding an open house to honor well-deserved public health heroes.
The events are as follows:
DOH-Orange, open house, recognition of Public Health Heroes, display of historical artifacts and refreshments, 2:00-4:00 p.m., 6101 Lake Ellenor Drive, Orlando, FL
DOH-Seminole, open house, recognition of Public Health Hero, tours highlighting history and services, 1:00-4:00 p.m., 400 W. Airport Blvd., Sanford, FL.
Two staff members at the health departments will be among those recognized as Public Health Heroes. One of those employees is Nurse Case Manager Polly Cummings in Orange County who has served for 43 years in public health. She is currently managing the care of TB patients and has been personally credited by patients for directly curing them of TB.
For more information about the Florida Department of Health in Orange and Seminole counties, please visit www.orchd.com orwww.seminolecohealth.com.
