With the release of the 2012 County Health Rankings, Kansas counties can see how they compare with their neighbors so they can identify where they are doing well and where they need to improve.

This year’s rankings show that Riley County is the healthiest among Kansas counties, followed by Johnson, Doniphan, Ellis and Coffey. A cluster of Southeast counties continue to rank among the least healthy, with Woodson occupying the last spot, followed by Montgomery, Chautauqua, Wyandotte and Cherokee. Click here to download the full 2012 Kansas County Health Rankings report (PDF).

What we know

The 2012 County Health Rankings help us see how where we live, learn, work and play influences how healthy we are and how long we live.

In this video, Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino of the Kansas Health Institute answers some key questions about the value of the County Health Rankings as a community health tool.

What we can do

While the Rankings help counties see how they compare to their neighbors so they can identify where they are doing well and where they need to improve, the new County Health Roadmaps help communities see what steps they need to take to remove barriers to good health.

At the County Health Roadmaps, visitors will find:

• An Action Center with information about ways to help build community health.

• Opportunities for funding and other resources.

• Connections to help people collaborate and share ideas.

What could happen

The County Health Calculator is an interactive online tool that shows the impact that social factors like education and income have on health and well-being — for the nation, states and counties.

County Health Rankings for all 50 states are available at countyhealthrankings.org.

Media coverage of the 2012 Rankings

• WIBW-TV

• WIBW blog

• Kansas City Star

• FOX 4 Kansas City

• Kansas City Business Journal

• Wichita Business Journal

• Topeka Capital-Journal

• KPR

• KSNT

• WellCommons

• Hays Daily News

• KOAM TV

• Hutchinson News