By Paul DeMarco
Alabama has had recent success with economic development projects and job creation. Alabama has rightly earned a national reputation as one of the best places to do business in the United States.
Yet, despite the state being home to some of the Nation’s most reputable physicians and medical researchers, the state still lags behind other states in taking of care of the well being of its citizens.
Unfortunately, Alabama continues to rank in the bottom ten of unhealthy states based on a number of factors.
First, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the state has the fifth-highest adult obesity rate in the nation and sixth-highest rate for youth ages 10 to 17. In addition, the diabetes rates for the state’s citizens continues to increase in the state as well.
In addition, the number of the state’s residents who have died from cardiovascular disease remains high. It is actually the number one cause of deaths in the state of Alabama.
State leaders are focused on trying to work to improve the health of state citizens through both new legislation and funding programs to reduce disease and mortality rates.
However, what is holding Alabama back are some of the same problems facing a number of states.
As a rural state, it has faced the closure of hospitals limiting the access to care outside the metropolitan areas along the I-65 corridor. In addition, a nationwide shortage of nurses has hurt patient care needs with medical providers in Alabama.
Finally, Alabama has yet to resolve how to address the continuing needs of mental health patients once it closed state facilities in the past decade.
The state leadership in Montgomery need to continue to find new solutions to work even harder to improve both the physical and mental health needs of Alabama citizens. We can then proudly say the state is not only a good place to do business but a healthy place to live.
Paul DeMarco is a former Alabama State Representative.
