VENTURA COUNTY: Report Ranks Area As One of Healthiest
Ventura County once again ranks as one of the healthiest counties in California, according to an annual profile by the state Department of Health Services. Residents of the county "have a lower death rate from major diseases or injuries" than those living in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles counties, the report found. The study reviews communicable disease records from 1994 to 1996 and examines the death rate per 100,000 people, the Ventura County Star reports. Ventura County women are "more likely to get prenatal care" than nearly all the other counties in the state. Infant mortality also is relatively low compared to other localities. The county ranks ninth lowest in cancer deaths, an improvement from 13th in the 1997 profile. Local officials credit a "combination of money, good air, proper nutrition and access to health care" for the good scores. The prenatal care finding "ties right into our whole system of integrated clinics," said Richard Ashby, the county's acting public health officer (Warchol, 4/27).
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