Contact: Angela Swartzman, Administrator
Florida Department of Health in Lee County
Angela.Swartzman@flhealth.gov
239-461-6150

Fort Myers Fla. — The Florida Department of Health in Lee County (FDOH-Lee) recognizes the value in measuring health outcomes and today acknowledged the 2017 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps tool released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This study highlights the many community factors that influence health and uses established data, much of which is available from the department at www.flhealthcharts.gov.

“Lee County is incredibly fortunate to have strong community engagement surrounding health,” says Angela Swartzman, Lee County Health Officer. “Lee County’s Health Rankings have improved since last year and that is a testament to the commitment to health demonstrated by the communities here in Lee County.”

These rankings are a snapshot of the health of counties across the country and they emphasize that health is not a singular effort but a combined work in progress across all community partners. The department works in collaboration with local governments, non-profit organizations, health care facilities, business groups, schools, faith-based organizations, and many other stakeholders to improve the health of all people in Lee County. These rankings use data related to physical environments, social and economic factors, health behaviors and clinical care.

In Lee County, the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is designed to address specific opportunities for improved health that have been identified by the community. The department has partnered with many stakeholders to implement the CHIP and collaborates regularly to track progress.

“FDOH-Lee is very proud of its many community partnerships, including Healthy Lee which is a grassroots group engaged around improving health outcomes in Lee County, as well as a new initiative called Florida Healthy Babies aimed at reducing infant mortality through the increase of breastfeeding, early initiation of prenatal care and practicing safe sleep habits,” says Swartzman. “Community partnerships such as these are essential to reach our goal of improved health outcomes in Lee County.”

Last week the Florida Department of Health celebrated a one year milestone as the first integrated department of health in the nation to achieve national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. Public health departments play a critical role in protecting and improving the health of people and communities. The seal of accreditation signifies that the Florida Department of Health has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health.

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook.  For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.