Ohio falls to 40th in national health ranking

Ohio slipped from 38th to 40th in overall health last year, according to the latest America’s Health Rankings(Source: “Ohio 40th in national health rankings; smoking declines but diabetes, other areas remain a concern,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 11, 2013).

The annual rankings, which are published by UnitedHealth Foundation, found that Ohio’s strengths are that it has a high rate of high school graduation, low percentage of uninsured population and ready availability of primary care physicians compared to other states. Its greatest challenges, according to the report, are high levels of air pollution, a high rate of preventable hospitalizations and a high prevalence of diabetes.