New community health report highlights areas where Placer shines, could improve

Published June 20, 2024

On the heels of once again ranking among the healthiest counties in California, Placer County Public Health has published a new report highlighting health disparities that persist among county residents and identifying key areas of focus for the division.

The 2023 Community Health Assessment explores the health status, behaviors, resources and needs of Placer County residents, identifying key health priorities. The top five priority health issues identified include substance use, homelessness, mental health, cancer and cognitive/aging health issues. Such findings will guide a forthcoming community health improvement plan that will recommend actions to address identified health priorities.

"We want this assessment to encourage thought, dialogue, and ultimately, informed and coordinated action in our community," said Michael Romero, Public Health division director. "Placer County's success in national health rankings is a testimony not just to the success of our public health system, but to the strength of our local economy, businesses, governments, schools, parks and community organizations - and, we all have important work ahead of us."

Notably, among findings for key priority health issues:

• Placer residents reported excessive drinking at a higher rate per capita than Californians overall. While lower than California overall, the death rate from opioids per capita has risen substantially in recent years, fueled by fentanyl.
• Suicide or intentional self-harm is within the top 15 leading causes of death for Placer County, and the county's death rate due to suicide exceeds the statewide per capita rate.
• Placer County experiences high rates of cancer compared to many other counties, yet this may be due to screening and surveillance bias, where more people are diagnosed in a certain area because they have access to and financial means for better care.
• While the rate of homelessness in the county is one of the lowest in the state, it is still a visible and ongoing problem.
• The county has a higher rate of Alzheimer's/dementia, in part due to the population skewing older than California as a whole, with a higher death rate per capita than is seen statewide.

Beyond identifying key health issues, the CHA also explores a handful of neighborhoods that experience more difficulties achieving health than the county as a whole. Extensive data collection and analysis went into the CHA, involving analysis of secondary data along with surveys from residents and input from community organizations.

For more information on the 2023 Community Health Assessment and to view the full report, visit the Be Well Placer dashboard, or find a hard copy at any of Placer County's libraries.