Washington Moves Up to #12!

It is another huge step in our goal to make Washington the Healthiest State in the Nation. A report released late last year by the United Health Foundation ranks Washington 12th in the 2007 Healthiest State rankings — up three spots from a year ago.

No other state in the top 12 made as big a jump in the rankings in 2007 as Washington, and Washington was singled out as one of the five "most improved" states. Low smoking rates, a drop in childhood poverty rates and improved high school graduation rates were among Washington’s strengths.

"It’s really exciting news," said Washington Health Foundation President & CEO Greg Vigdor. "We’ve worked so hard in this campaign to try and make a difference and people have wondered whether we’re doing this to just make a statement or really to make us the Healthiest State, and we’re on our way."

This news came on the heels of the Washington Health Foundation’s most successful Governor’s Health Bowl ever! More than 35,000 individuals, 1,000 organizations and 360 schools combined to log more than five million miles of health in just six weeks — double what we accomplished a year ago.

"It’s sometimes hard for all the people and the organizations involved in the campaign to see how it’s really going to make a difference," Vigdor added. "But the truth is, it’s the small things that we all do that are really going to make us the Healthiest State in the Nation and the accomplishment is really theirs — not ours."

2007’s healthiest state in the nation is Vermont, and it is a story from which Washington should take heart: In 1990, Vermont was 16th in state health rankings; by 2001, the state had moved up to 8th; and today, Vermont is number one. Vermont’s story illustrates that it takes time to improve a state’s health — but that it can be done.

Washington was in a similar position a few years ago. In 2003, the idea for the Washington Health Foundation’s Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign was born when our state slipped to 17th in state health rankings. WHF kicked off its Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign to call attention to key areas in which Washington needed to improve. Today, the Healthiest State Campaign is the largest civic engagement project for health in state history — with the goal to one day make Washington the Healthiest State in the Nation.

"The possibility of becoming the healthiest state is really based on the growing involvement and excitement around our campaign," Vigdor continued, "We now have tens of thousands of people taking part in our Healthiest State Campaign and that grassroots involvement makes it possible for us to one day reach our goal of becoming the Healthiest State in the Nation."

Vigdor also spoke about the Washington Health Foundation’s work with several partner organizations to target our state’s problem areas of obesity, childhood immunization rates and public health funding. Vigdor believes improvements in these key areas could help push Washington into the top ten in next year’s healthiest state rankings.

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For more information on this year’s state health rankings, please visit: www.HealthiestState.org.

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