New report ranks the health of Branch County residents

COLDWATER (WTVB) – People are living longer in most of America. A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Report on counties around the U.S. finds that rates of death in people younger than 75 have fallen in more than half of the counties in America. The 2015 report ranks Branch County 55^th out of 82 counties in Michigan in health outcomes for length and quality of life. That’s a fall from the 2014 ranking of 40^th in the state. This research for this year says 15% of the county’s residents are uninsured, 27% of children are living in poverty, and 16% of the county’s residents have severe housing problems. Health researcher Kate Konkle at the University of Wisconsin says the report shows that the healthiest counties in America have higher college attendance rates, better access to opportunities to exercise, and fewer preventable hospital stays. 48% of Branch County residents ages 25-44 have had some post-secondary education while the average for Michigan is 65%. The most unhealthy counties have more alcohol-related car accidents, more teen births, and more smokers. Branch County’s adult smoking rate is 15% compared to the state average of 20%.