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Erie, Niagara counties near bottom of annual NYS health ranking

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Erie and Niagara counties rank near the bottom of an organization's annual county health rankings for New York State.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborates with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute to publish the information online at countyhealthrankings.org. The rankings are designed to help counties gauge the overall health of residents.

They using 35 health outcomes including length and quality of life; health behaviors such as obesity, adult smoking and teen pregnancies; clinical factors such as preventable hospital stays, disease screenings and number of physicians; social and environmental factors such as crime, children in poverty and graduation rates; and physical environmental factors such as air pollution, drinking water violations and housing problems.

Erie County comes in at No. 50 overall on the 2017 list of New York's 62 counties, but clinical care alone jumps to No. 10. Areas of strength include the county's low number of uninsured residents and preventable hospital stays, as well as the high number of residents with at least some college education and access to exercise opportunities.

Credit The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Niagara County comes in at No. 58, but the category of physical environmental factors comes in at No. 42. Areas of strength include its low number of uninsured residents, inactive adults and excessive drinkers, as well as the high number of residents with at least some college education.

Chautauqua County beats them both overall at No. 54, while its clinical care comes in at No. 19. Cattaraugus County falls below at No. 60, but its physical environmental factors rank a bit higher at No. 46.

Topping the list are Saratoga County, followed by Putnam County just north of New York City, Nassau County on Long Island and neighboring Westchester and Putnam Counties. Last in the rankings is the Bronx.

The rankings also show whether a county is higher or lower than last year's rankings and how it compares to U.S top performers.

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