DELAWARE, Oh. – The Delaware Public Health District is pleased to announce that Delaware County is the healthiest county in Ohio for the ninth year straight.  

The 2023 County Health Rankings issued today places Delaware County as first in Ohio for both health outcomes and health factors. Health outcomes focus on how healthy people are presently and health factors are based on how healthy people will be in the future. The rankings, presented by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, are available online at countyhealthrankings.org. 

“This ranking provides an exciting snapshot of how Delaware County residents prioritize health and how they want to improve their health as influenced by where they live, learn, work, and play,” said Health Commissioner Garrett Guillozet.

Guillozet added that this ranking also solidifies how important it is to not only sustain public health services, but also expand services and programs that meet the needs of all residents and to ensure those programs and services are meeting residents right where they are located.

“Delaware County, while being the healthiest county in the state, has identified several health priorities to focus on during the next cycle of our Community Health Improvement Plan,” said Guillozet. “Regardless of the health priority, our goal is to ensure that all residents have adequate access to care and that, when possible, barriers to that care are removed.”

Guillozet said that one of the most outstanding aspects of the Health District and the community at-large, is the willingness to partner and form coalitions to ensure that each health priority is addressed in a multi-faceted approach.  

The Health District along with several community partners that make up The Partnership for a Healthy Delaware County are currently working together again to strategize and implement the 2023-2028 Community Health Improvement Plan.

“The work being done through the Community Health Improvement Plan evaluates specific issues in an effort to strengthen and support strategies set in motion to improve those health issues,” said Guillozet.

Guillozet said that it was important to note that while the Health District is seen as the leader in county health issues, these rankings are not a grading system for health departments, but rather a snapshot of the population’s overall health.  

Last Updated on March 29, 2023