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<p style="font-weight:bold; display: inline; line-height:150%; font-size: 105%;">Columbia/Boone County, MO<br />
Public Health & Human Services<br />
1005 W. Worley St., Columbia, MO 65203
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<h2 style="font-size: 200%;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</h2>
<p style="font-size: 120%; margin-top: -5px; font-weight:bold;">March 14, 2018</p>
<p style="float:right; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom: 75px; font-size: 120%; text-align:right;">CONTACT: Eric Stann, Community Relations Specialist
<br />(573) 874-7632 or Eric.Stann@CoMo.gov</p>
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<div style="font-size: 110%; line-height:200%;"><h3 style="clear:both; margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 170%;">Boone County ranks in top 10 healthiest counties in Missouri</h3>
<div class="content"><span style="padding-left: 50px;">(COLUMBIA, MO)</span> - <p style="display: inline;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2018 County Health Rankings, released March 14, recognizes </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boone County as the number one county in Missouri for clinical care. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ninth annual study ranks Boone County ninth out of 115 counties in Missouri in health outcomes, and third in Missouri for health factors. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The County Health Rankings focus on various health outcomes and health factors to formulate a snapshot of a county's health. Health outcomes measure how healthy a county currently is. Health factors measure how healthy a county might be in the future based on factors that influence health, such as health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We are excited to be considered </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">one of the healthiest counties in Missouri by the County Health Rankings," Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department Director Stephanie Browning said. "</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a credit to our community partners that work to enrich, strengthen and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">empower the lives of Boone Countians </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">each day</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The entities that make up Boone County's health care system, such as the dentists, hospitals, mental health providers, primary care physicians and urgent care centers, contribute to Boone County's number one clinical care ranking among all Missouri counties.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2018 rankings also show Boone County has the lowest percentage of adults over the age of 20 </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">in the state </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">reporting no leisure physical activity. The public health system, community partners, local educational opportunities and plentiful outdoor recreational opportunities found within Boone County are potential contributing factors to this ranking.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Boone County is considered one of the healthiest counties in Missouri by these rankings, the work of the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department continues. The department plans to consider this data in its current work towards the county's next five-year community health improvement plan.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We will continue to work with our community partners to achieve a caring and inclusive community where everyone can achieve their optimum well-being," Browning said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The County Health Rankings are available at</span><a href="http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> www.countyhealthrankings.org</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Since 2010, the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, compares counties within each state in the United States on more than 30 health-influencing factors. </span></p></div>
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<div class="content"><strong>Location:</strong> <a href="https://gis.gocolumbiamo.com/CityView/?find=1005 W Worley St." target="_blank">1005 W Worley St.</a></div>
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<em>Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.</em></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;">-30-</p>
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