Klamath County, Ore., wins Culture of Health Prize - Entrepreneur Generations

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced the winners of the 2018 Culture of Health Prize, which recognizes American communities that have improved residents' health or access to health care. Awards are given for different kinds of communities: urban, suburban, rural, and tribal.

The winner in the Rural category is Klamath County, Oregon. The county has been struggling economically after the local decline of the timber industry, and was further hurt by the Great Recession. Local Native Americans in the Klamath Tribes were hurting even more because of decades of land rights loss. "Steep barriers to health across the county have included inadequate transportation, high rates of substance abuse, uneven access to nutritious food, lack of law enforcement presence, low graduation rates, and limited access to health care," the foundation reports.

But: "In 2012, leaders in health and social services here took action, forming the Healthy Klamath coalition with the mission of creating a healthier community. Since then, the county has made progress on key outcomes, boosting graduation rates, revitalizing parts of their urban center, and reducing crime. Now, Klamath County is working to increase access to fresh produce, address transportation needs, and check teen tobacco use. The efforts have expanded as Klamath has taken steps toward creating more and better jobs and cultivating a stronger network of interconnected social, behavioral, and health care services."

See a complete list of the winners here.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2xtmOzI Klamath County, Ore., wins Culture of Health Prize - Entrepreneur Generations

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