Ulster County Is Now The Highest Ranked County In The Mid-Hudson Region
Kingston, N.Y. – Upon taking office in 2009, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein set forth an aggressive goal to work towards making Ulster the healthiest county in New York State. This was no small task because in 2010, the first year of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation national health rankings, Ulster was ranked in the bottom half, thirty–third out of New York State’s sixty-two counties (33/62). However, with its steady rise since then, today’s release of the 2017 Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings finds Ulster County has now climbed to fifteen (15/62), and is the highest ranked county in the Mid-Hudson region.
“A dramatic leap from 33rd to 15th in such a short period of time has only been possible because of extraordinary community-wide efforts and an overarching commitment to public health that permeates almost every decision we make,” said Ulster County Executive Mike Hein. “There are so many variables that affect overall community health that play such a pivotal role in the overall strength, sustainability and quality of life of a community. In order to encourage outdoor recreation we have made unprecedented investments in our infrastructure making our roads wider for pedestrians and bicyclists and we continue to build a world-class interconnected rail trail system. We take environmental stewardship seriously; we continue to invest in renewable energy and install and expand the largest network of municipal electric vehicle charging stations in New York State and so much more. It has long been recognized that individuals with a higher education have better health outcomes, which is one of the reasons we have also made affordable college education available in mid-town Kingston at the Kingston Center of SUNY Ulster improving access for everyone. All this in addition to leading successful efforts to implement cutting edge health related public policy.”
“The real winners of today’s announcement by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are the people of Ulster County,” continued County Executive Hein, “and although we are proud of our progress and continued rise, rest assured, we are excited at the opportunity to get even better.”
Dr. Carol Smith, Ulster County Commissioner of Health and Mental Health
“In 2010, Ulster County was ranked the 33rd healthiest out of 62 counties in New York. Today, at number 15, we have more than halved that number. County Executive Hein and I are pleased to represent policy decisions and a diverse community of wonderful people and organizations who are fully engaged in improving health outcomes for all. This is an ongoing process and we will work harder than ever to make sure that Ulster County continues to improve,” said Ulster County Commissioner of Health and Mental Health, Dr. Carol Smith.
The County Health Rankings consist of collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. It compares counties within each state on more than 30 factors that impact health, including social determinants such as education, jobs, housing, exercise, transportation, and more. Over the past several years the Rankings, available at www.countyhealthrankings.org have become an important tool and measuring stick for local communities working to build an ever improving Culture of Health.
