The Highs and Lows of Rhode Island's Health Ranking

December 16, 2020

The United Health Foundation's annual health rankings showed mixed results for Rhode Island. A Boston Globe article, written by Dan McGowan, titled "The Good News and Bad News in Rhode Island's New Health Rankings" stated that the report ranks each state based on four key factors including socioeconomic factors, physical environment, clinical care and behaviors, which all contribute to the fifth category: health outcomes.

Let's start with the bad news first. The racial gap in high school graduation rates is the worst in the region at 18.3%, which ranks Rhode Island at 37th in the country. For comparison's sake, the overall graduation rate was 84% for the class of 2018. The state is ranked at No. 49 when it comes to lead in housing despite ranking among the best in the country in certain physical environment metrics such as drinking water violations and non-smoking regulations. When it comes to drug-related deaths, Rhode Island averages 29.7 deaths per 100,000 residents ranking the state 40th in the country. The state's average is well above the national average which is at 20.6 deaths.

Now for the good news. When it comes to clinical care, Rhode Island ranks at No. 2 in the country due to the fact that residents are avoiding care to save costs. Also, 85.4% of adults have a dedicated health provider. Rhode Island tied for first with Hawaii and Maine when it comes to the ratio of premature deaths, accounts before the age of 75, between the black and white population. Lastly, over 24% of adults exercise regularly and with that, only three states have better fruit and vegetable consumption among adults.

For more information, don't forget to click on the provided above or here: "The Good News and Bad News in Rhode Island's New Health Rankings."