Cattaraugus County remains among unhealthiest in state

“It’s not good. We want to get that number down.”

Sitting at No. 58 in terms of length of life, Cattaraugus County residents faced a loss of 8,181 total potential years of life prior to age 75 compared to 5,952 for the state average in 2022. That amounts to one year lost for every year a county resident dies before age 75, Watkins said. There is also a racial component. From 2017-19, 43.2% of whites died before reaching age 75, compared to 70% of Blacks and 71.4% of Hispanics.

In a survey, 14% of county residents responded they were in poor or fair health, while the state average was 12%. Residents reported an average of 3.4 poor physical health days compared to 2.7% in New York state, Watkins said.

Among the reasons for the county’s low health ranking is the ratio of residents to primary care physicians — 2,168:1 as compared to a state average of

1,174:1. The same goes for dentists, Watkins said. The county has a 2,184 ratio of residents to dentists with a state average of 1,218:1.

The county health rankings are compiled each year by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Watkins said the county’s ranking in the bottom quarter of counties across the state has changed little over the past several years. “There are things we can do” to change this, he said, asking for suggestions from Board of Health members.

In the past, health officials have blamed in part the high rate of adult smokers and residents unhealthy diets for the county’s high unhealthy ranking.

Social and economic factors included in a county snapshot as part of the study show about 21% of county adults are smokers compared to 12% of state residents; that

32% of county adults are obese compared to 27% in the state; that 22% of adults admitted to excess drinking, that 22% of children are living in poverty and 23% of children are in a single parent household.

Watkins reminded Board of Health members that the Cattaraugus County Health Department would celebrate its 100th anniversary on June 15 with a special program including the state health commissioner, Dr. James McDonald.