Collier County was ranked number one in Florida for the “length of life” of its residents. The ranking is part of an annual report comparing county health statistics compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The county ranked two overall out of Florida’s 67 counties. The survey looked at quality of life, health behaviors and access to medical care, among other things.
Deb Millsap with the Collier County Health Department said the county’s strong numbers are a product of the area’s healthy foundation. She said the county has done well in the past five years the survey’s been conducted.
“We knew we would continue to rank high,” she said. “And we’ve been committed since they started giving us this data. We’ve been committed to looking at the data with community partners and synergizing effort to try and continue to sustain our good health, but also to improve areas we thought we were lacking.”
Lee County ranked 11 overall, the same ranking it got last year. Officials said it’s a sign the county’s health is stable. Health behaviors played a big role in Lee County’s ranking. Smoking and obesity among residents is higher than the state average.
Lee Memorial Health Systems president Jim Nathan said in a statement officials need to “continue to engage people in making healthy choices.”
Sarasota County ranked eighth overall. Charlotte County ranked 27th.
