ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke city health department says the city’s health is falling behind state averages in several key areas. A presentation presenting data at the recent city council meeting opened discussion on these challenges.
According to data from the health department, local residents face higher rates of chronic illness, hospitalizations, and diabetes compared to the state average.
Cynthia Morrow, director for Roanoke City and Allegheny Health Districts, said, “It’s not unusual for urban areas to have worse health outcomes than other areas so I think a lot of what we see in Roanoke City in terms of metrics or ways we measure health, we’d like to see everything better.”
Morrow noted that poverty plays a significant role in these health outcomes. “Education and income are the two leading preventable aspects to poor health outcome so there’s a saying in health, your zip code is a better predictor of your health than your genetic code.”
Reactions from residents were mixed. Local nursing students Marley Jackson and Sierra Carick said, “It does not surprise me, no.” They added, “Breathing issues, respiratory issues are more common now, you see that a lot in emergency department, people coming in with respiratory issues.”
Local resident Erin Shearer expressed a different perspective. “I mean I would think the outdoors would be a little healthier given all the outdoors we do here.” He also said, “The city does a lot, I think having Carilion’s footprint helps and I think a lot of it is up to the individual.”
Morrow said the department hopes for a better future. “When we look at the data and the data shows us there is a lot of room for improvement in Roanoke City, whether it is related to substance use disorder or chronic disease prevention or teen pregnancy. Those are all areas that we can and should do better and I’m just really grateful for the partnership I have with the city.”
The biggest goal, officials say, is collaboration and transparency to get the city, health providers, and residents working together for a healthier Roanoke.