For the seventh consecutive year, Putnam County ranks among the top five counties in New York State for overall health. Putnam is fifth in health outcomes, based on length and quality of life, and second in health factors, the influencers of health. The seventh annual County Health Rankings were released by the Robert Wood Johnson Founda- tion and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute dur- ing National Public Health Week, the first week of April. Last year Putnam was also second in health factors, and fourth in health out- comes, from among the 62 counties in the state.
The county’s move from fourth to fifth place in health outcomes may be of little significance, however there is no lack of clarity about two health challenges the county is currently facing.
The first is the rate of excessive alcohol use in Putnam, which continues to remain higher here than in the rest of New York State, seen in the binge drinking rates charted at the right. The health department works closely with the Putnam chapter of the National Council on Alco- holism and other Drug Dependencies (NCADD) and the Communities That Care (CTC) coalition on this issue. The second health problem relates to the dramatic rise of sexually transmitted diseases. This prob- lem is not limited to Putnam or even New York State. It is a nationwide trend that has all health officials concerned. (A related story on chlamydia and expedited partner therapy (EPT) appears on page 3.)