Below you can read our findings based on our various sources of data. If you would like to dig deeper into a specific subject, select a category from the menu to the left below Community Dashboard.
National Health Center Week: August 9-15, 2015
July/August 2015
This month’s article is in honor of National Health Center Week, August 9-15, 2015. Health centers are local, non-profit or government-run primary care providers operating in medically underserved neighborhoods. For almost 50 years, these health centers have provided high-quality, affordable primary and preventive care, as well as dental, mental health, substance abuse, and pharmacy services. The second week of August is dedicated to celebrating the services and contributions of Community, Migrant, Homeless and Public Housing Health Centers. Also known as Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), they are located in areas where needed care is scarce, and improve access for millions of Americans regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Health centers also reduce costs to health systems; the health center model of care has been shown to reduce the use of costlier providers of care, such as emergency departments, specialists and hospitals. Today, over 1,200 health centers deliver care to over 22 million people at over 9,000 delivery sites in the nation.1 Locally, there are 51 health centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including 44 sites in Philadelphia and seven in the four suburban counties surrounding the City.These centers serve more than 280,000 adults and children annually. Philadelphia’s health centers create over 1,100 full time jobs and have a $202 million impact on the City’s economy.2
Men's Health Week: A Look at High Blood Pressure
June 2015
As we approach National Men’s Health Week, celebrated every year during the week leading up to and including Father’s Day, it is important for us all to remind ourselves and be aware of the health risks that affect the men and boys in our lives. These risks encompass a wide range of afflictions specific and unique to males, but there are also those risks that, while affecting both men and women, have a disproportionate effect on men’s health and well-being. Among these risks is high blood pressure, which can lead to coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney failure, among others.[1] Men below the age of 45 are more likely than their female counterparts to have high blood pressure, and, furthermore, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death among men in this country year after year is heart disease, which comprises a number of different heart conditions, including many of those listed above.
A Look at Preventive Screenings to Promote Breast Health
October 2013
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease and to encourage preventive measures and early detection. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 20091, approximately 211,700 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer.2
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in this country, except for skin cancers, and about one in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.3 The ACS provides specific recommendations for early breast cancer detection. These recommendations include yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health. ACS recommends that women are informed of the benefits, limitations, and potential harms associated with regular screenings. In addition, clinical breast exams are recommended about every three years for women in their 20s and 30s, and every year for women 40 and older.4
Barriers to Physical Fitness: A Proven Pathway to Better Health
May, 2015
the Community Health Data Base (CHDB) would like to share some of our most interesting findings as they relate to physical fitness – or more specifically – barriers to physical fitness. It should come as no surprise that physical fitness and regular exercise contribute to better health outcomes; the Department of Health and Human Services has cited a lower risk for heart disease, type two diabetes, and some types of cancer as but a few of the many potential benefits of staying active. They also point out that among older adults, ‘physical activity can lower the risk of falls and improve cognitive functioning’. But while it is one thing to demonstrate that physical fitness contributes to better health, equally important is an awareness of the factors that bear upon whether individuals are able to take part in the activities necessary to maintaining fitness. This is why we at the Community Health Data Base would like to draw readers’ attention to some of the barriers that currently exist to routine physical activity.
Where We Live Matters: County-Level and Community-Level Health Indicators
April 2014
Spring is here! We have warmer weather, we’ve celebrated National Public Health Week (April 7-13) and we have exciting data to look forward to. As the last of the snow melts and we step outside into our neighborhoods, April is a great time to discuss the role our communities play in our overall health and wellbeing. At the end of March, the 2014 County Health Rankings were released, revealing how each county in each state ranks on the factors that influence health as well as health outcomes. In addition to the local community data we provide, Public Health Management Corporation’s (PHMC) Community Health Data Base (CHDB) team serves as the state team lead for the Pennsylvania County Health Rankings. This article uses data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin’s County Health Rankings as well as data from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, and the US Census to examine the ways that where we live, learn, work and play are tied to our opportunities to be healthy.