I am excited to share that the Idaho Health Report Card is now available on the Get Healthy Idaho website.
The report card covers 10 major health indicators and their impacts on Idahoans. It shows the rate or percentage of the population affected, the trend (increasing, unchanged, or decreasing), the target and whether we have met the target, and a grade for how we compare to other states. As you hover your cursor on a computer or laptop over various parts of the report card, more context is provided.
The health indicators being monitored are:
- Heart disease deaths
- Cancer deaths
- Unintentional injury deaths
- Suicide deaths
- Drug overdose deaths
- Obesity prevalence
- Diabetes prevalence
- Infant deaths
- Pre-term births
- Childhood immunization (this indicator is still under development)
All the published targets are “unmet.” I hope that inspires our stakeholders to take notice of this new tool. By publishing these indicators, we hope the Health Report Card drives conversations across the state about working together to gain improvements in these areas for Idahoans.
We also hope the Idaho Health Report Card helps to advance a unified approach in assessing the health of Idahoans, to identify the areas of greatest concern, and to drive action at DHW and among partners invested in supporting Idahoans to live their healthiest lives possible.
You can read more about some of the things we’re doing to move some of these indicators to “met” in our Strategic Plan. Goal 3 in the plan is to help Idahoans become as healthy and self-sufficient as possible and addresses some of the foundational things that influence the indicators in the report card--called social determinants of health.
See the Idaho Health Report Card: https://www.gethealthy.dhw.idaho.gov/idaho-health-report-card. Data for the indicators will be added to the report card as they become available.
I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend!
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
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