Resilience: Meadville, PA - 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Globally: The United Nations defines good health and well-being as eradication of diseases and other persistent and emerging health issues. The UN goal includes increasing life expectancy; reducing common killers associated with child and maternal mortality; increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Meadville: Good health and well-being is about access to health care and health insurance to make the costs manageable. Health and well-being is not just about disease, but also about mental health, lifestyle choices, drug epidemics, and bolstering preventative care and health screenings.

Local Facts and Figures

What is the life expectancy in Crawford County?

The life expectancy of women in Crawford County is 80 (compared to 82 nationally) and the life expectancy for men in Crawford County is 76 (77 nationally). (1)The leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lower respiratory disease. (2)

What are the top health concerns?

Crawford County residents self-report their top health concerns are chronic diseases (41%) and mental health (27%). They also report the top three root causes of these health concerns to be obesity, poverty, and substance abuse. (2)

Do lifestyle choices impact future health?

Youth in Crawford County are more likely to report lifetime tobacco use than the state average. 21.6% of Crawford County youth (from survey of students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12) reported lifetime use of cigarettes compared to 16.3% statewide. 14.1% of Crawford County youth reported lifetime use of smokeless tobacco compared to 8.4% statewide. (3)

What does health insurance coverage look like in Meadville?

A greater percentage of Meadville residents have insurance coverage compared to Crawford County and national coverage rates. However a greater proportion of Meadville residents have public coverage rather than private when compared to Crawford County, Pennsylvania and nationwide rates. Even when employed, 12.7% of Meadville residents (18-64) have no insurance coverage.

Table 1. Health Insurance Coverage (4)(5)(6)(7)

Is preventative care sufficient?

Preventative care in our community is insufficient. Only 7.6% of Crawford County residents report having their own doctor (primary care physician) (1) compared to 85.8% of Pennsylvania residents and 78% nationally (8)
Only 55% of Meadville adults over 50 got recommended cancer screening exams (1)

What is the rate of death due to drug overdose?

Crawford County has a higher rate of death due to drug overdose than state or national averages. In 2016, there were 45.2 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people in Crawford compared to 37.9 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania and 20 per 100,000 nation-wide. The number of drug-related deaths has more than doubled in Crawford County since 2014. (9) Further, opioid use is also linked to increase in outbreaks of HIV and/or Hepatitis C. (10)

Local Strengths and Opportunities

Meadville residents have a higher rate of insurance coverage than the county and nation. Only 8.4% of Meadville residents have no health coverage.
As the county seat, many social service providers have offices in Meadville including CHAPS Crawford County Mental Health Program and the Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program which offers one-on-one in-home support designed to meet each person’s unique needs and recovery goals.
Free mammograms and pap tests are available for women with little to no insurance coverage and low to moderate income, provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health & Department of Public Welfare.

Local Weaknesses and Threats

Preventative care is insufficient. Residents would benefit from routine health care assessments and preventative screenings to address health concerns early.
Crawford County is at high risk for an opioid epidemic and associated disease outbreaks.

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Local Facts and Figures

Local Strengths and Opportunities

Local Weaknesses and Threats

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