HEALTH & WELLNESS
Healthy communities create a healthy economy and self-reliant families. However, when quality medical care is hard to find, and needed coverage is still unaffordable, it impacts health outcomes and overall individual, family, and community health and economics.
Health data reveals emerging trends and areas in need of new policies or systems so citizens can live longer, healthier lives increasing productivity and economic prosperity.
To learn more about each indicator, simply click on the icon, chart, map, or graph to be directed to the NevadaTomorrow.org Community Data Portal, where you will see maps, charts, graphs, year-over-year comparisons, and more.***
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HOW ARE WE DOING?
Overall Community Health & Wellness Grade
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Though much progress has been made to improve the overall community health and wellness, our Truckee Meadows neighbors still are challenged by various obstacles that prevent us from reaching optimal health.
Learn more below about the state of health and wellness in our community.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Health insurance coverage is considered one of the best indicators of access to healthcare. Healthcare for the uninsured is a community-wide concern. Of special interest is the fact that there is significant racial inequity around health care access and rates of insured.
Medical costs in the United States are extremely high, so people without health insurance may not be able to afford medical treatment or prescription drugs. They are also less likely to get routine checkups and screenings, so if they do become ill they will not seek treatment until the condition is more advanced and therefore more difficult and costly to treat. Many small businesses are unable to offer health insurance to employees due to rising health insurance premiums.
The "Healthy People 2020" national health target from the US Department of Health and Human Services is to decrease the proportion of people without health insurance to 0%.
Adults Without Health Insurance
OBESITY
The percentage of obese adults is an indicator of the overall health and lifestyle of a community. Obesity increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, hypertension, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, respiratory problems, and osteoarthritis. Being obese also carries significant economic costs due to increased healthcare spending and lost earnings.
Data sources vary for Nevada, but according to a recent report by the CDC, Nevada's adult obesity rate was 28.7% which places our state the 14th heaviest in the nation. National obesity rates range from 24% (CO) to 39% (MS). More than half of the states in the U.S. still exceed the national "Healthy People 2020" target obesity rate of 30.5%. No state experienced a decrease in the last year reported.
Most health ratings list obesity and overweight rates separately. The standard used by researchers to define obesity is BMI or Body Mass Index. An individual is overweight when their BMI is 25-29. An adult is obese if they have a BMI greater than 30.
Adults 20+ yrs Who Are Obese
PUBLIC HEALTH SPENDING
When quality medical care is hard to find and needed coverage is unaffordable, it impacts health outcomes and overall individual, family, and community health and economics.
According to America's Health Rankings, Nevada continues to rank 50th on per capita state funding dedicated to public health, including federal funding directed to Nevada- despite seeing increases in funding since 2016.
ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS
Access to primary care providers increases the likelihood that community members will have routine checkups and screenings. Moreover, those with access to primary care are more likely to know where to go for acute treatment. Communities that lack a sufficient number of primary care providers typically have members who delay necessary care when sick and conditions can become more severe and complicated.
This indicator shows the primary care provider rate per 100,000 population. Primary care providers include practicing physicians specializing in general practice medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
Key Takeaways
Overall, much of the data and research typically published to help determine this report were unavailable or not updated in 2020. So much of the world's energy went into tracking, surviving, and recovering from COVID-19 that significant reports and research projects were set aside. Despite the challenges, this preparation for this report uncovered several key takeaways.
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In Washoe County, many adults have no health insurance; 18.1% in 2019. This number is up from 14.7% in 2018. However, the number of uninsured adults in all of Nevada jumps to 19.3%.
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Nevada's adult obesity rate was 28.7%, placing us as the 14th heaviest US state. More than half of the states in the US still exceed the national Healthy People 2020 target obesity rate of 30.5%. No state experienced a decrease in the last year reported.
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The three leading causes of death in Washoe County for adults are cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
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According to America's Health Rankings, Nevada ranks 50th on per capita state funding dedicated to public health, including federal funding directed to Nevada.
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Nevada has ranked 50th (or last) in public health spending since 2014.
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Though the number of health care providers has increased in Nevada, we still have a long way to go. Washoe County fairs better than the state and national rates of 58 providers/100k people and 75 providers/100k people, respectively. Washoe County's provider rate was 76 providers/100k people.
As stated earlier in this report, research demonstrates that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the well-being of individuals, children, and families. This was shown throughout the report in the Poverty and Economic Mobility, Population, Education, Safety, and Health sections. Solving the many issues highlighted will involve extensive collaboration, innovation, and a willingness to implement a multi-generational approach to ending poverty.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Innovating for Better Health
Renown Health is committed to detecting health risks early. The Healthy Nevada Project, one of the world's largest population health studies, combines genetic, clinical, and environmental data to deliver a personalized health insight to Nevadans at no cost.
The Healthy Nevada Project has more than 55,000 participants to date. Capturing participants with early findings is crucial so that treatment can begin. Access to participants has been extended to those in Northern, Southern, and rural Nevada.
The Healthy Nevada Project integrates genomics into a patient's clinical care plan. Using this genetic information, Renown will have the ability to better understand how a person's genes affect how they respond to a medication and offer a more precise targeted prescription to each person. Effective communication regarding the importance of genetic screening to the community has been a bit of a hurdle.
The research of this program helps pave the way for communities across the state by utilizing the project's data to help researchers advance the knowledge and understanding of genetic diseases.
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