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Carver Co. 'Healthiest' County In Minnesota, Report Finds

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- According to a new report, Carver County holds the rank of healthiest county in Minnesota.

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health announced the findings by the County Health Rankings. All Minnesota counties were included in the report, which is prepared by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and ranks the overall health of counties by measuring how healthy people are and how long they live.

In the report, counties are ranked in two categories: health outcomes and health factors. Health outcomes include rate of people dying before age 75, the percentage of people who report being in fair or poor health and the rate of low birth-weight infants. Health factors include health behavior, clinical care, social/economic factors and physical environment.

"By reporting on the overall health of people in each county, we can begin to understand how individual health is affected by where people live," said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health. "The rankings remind us that we live in communities, and that if our community is healthy, we're more likely to be healthy ourselves."

The report also shed light on the fact that different counties and parts of the state wrestle with different health challenges.

"When we see these health differences across the state, it becomes clear that we need to invest in the Statewide Health Improvement Program, so that we can have the resources needed to implement a statewide approach that at the same time relies on local expertise to create an approach tailored to each community," Ehlinger said.

To see the rankings and their specifics, click here.

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