Brookings county named healthiest in South Dakota, study says
The SDSU Wellness Center had more than 100,000 visits last fall semester.
Ben Lippert
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: News
The University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation conducted a nation-wide survey to analyze the healthiest counties in each state, and Brookings County was ranked healthiest in South Dakota.
Ellie Trautman, HEROH's adviser, is not surprised that Brookings ranked so successfully and said that Brookings has an excellent school system, attributing the success to the students.
"The more educated you are, you take better care of yourself," Trautman said. "Your education, your safety and your economical status determine if you're healthy."
The survey compared various health factors to create a snapshot of the healthiest communities per state. This snapshot will help community members know which areas they are succeeding in and which areas could be improved.
The survey is based on the "model of population health improvement," according to County Health Rankings. This model states that programs and policies influence health factors, and health factors influence health outcomes.
Four types of health factors are included in the results: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and the physical environment. These include everything from adult smoking to Hospice use to homicide rates. The health outcomes simply deal with mortality (length of life) and morbidity (quality of life).
Trautman said voters and legislative members are to thank for Brookings' health and success. She described the attitude of the Brookings decision- makers as "dynamic" and "looking for a change."
Trautman, who is also the health promotion coordinator at the Wellness Center, is the manager of the "Safe Ride" program, through which the Brookings Area Transit Authority offers students rides to prevent drunk driving. She said this is one way Brookings students and residents are staying safe, and spirituality and emotional status are also top factors of a healthy community.
The fact that Brookings is rated as the most healthy county in the state is surprising to some. Dustin Hanisch, senior wildlife fisheries major, said that he doesn't "see how this county could be healthy at all," and that people seem to party more than they work out.
Ellie Trautman, HEROH's adviser, is not surprised that Brookings ranked so successfully and said that Brookings has an excellent school system, attributing the success to the students.
"The more educated you are, you take better care of yourself," Trautman said. "Your education, your safety and your economical status determine if you're healthy."
The survey compared various health factors to create a snapshot of the healthiest communities per state. This snapshot will help community members know which areas they are succeeding in and which areas could be improved.
The survey is based on the "model of population health improvement," according to County Health Rankings. This model states that programs and policies influence health factors, and health factors influence health outcomes.
Four types of health factors are included in the results: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and the physical environment. These include everything from adult smoking to Hospice use to homicide rates. The health outcomes simply deal with mortality (length of life) and morbidity (quality of life).
Trautman said voters and legislative members are to thank for Brookings' health and success. She described the attitude of the Brookings decision- makers as "dynamic" and "looking for a change."
Trautman, who is also the health promotion coordinator at the Wellness Center, is the manager of the "Safe Ride" program, through which the Brookings Area Transit Authority offers students rides to prevent drunk driving. She said this is one way Brookings students and residents are staying safe, and spirituality and emotional status are also top factors of a healthy community.
The fact that Brookings is rated as the most healthy county in the state is surprising to some. Dustin Hanisch, senior wildlife fisheries major, said that he doesn't "see how this county could be healthy at all," and that people seem to party more than they work out.
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