CT is 5th Healthiest State in USA; MA Ranks 1st, New Data Shows
/Connecticut is the fifth healthiest state in the nation, dropping from third a year ago, but remaining in the nation’s top 10, where it has been every year since 1993. Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont, Utah and Connecticut rank as the five healthiest states, while West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi rank the least healthy.
The United Health Foundation ranked America's states based on a variety of health factors, such as rates of infectious diseases, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and infant mortality, as well as air pollution levels and the availability of health care providers. The survey has been conducted annually for 28 years.
America’s Health Rankings was built upon the World Health Organization definition of health:“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The model reflects that determinants of health directly influence health outcomes. A health outcomes category and four categories of health determinants are included in the model: behaviors, community & environment, policy and clinical care.
This is the first time Massachusetts has been named the healthiest state, ending Hawaii's five-year ranking at number one. Connecticut’s highest ranking was second, in both 2006 and 2008.
By category, Connecticut ranked fourth in Behaviors, fourth in Clinical Care, sixth in Policy, tenth in Health Outcomes and 15th in Community & Environment. Connecticut had the third lowest levels of infectious disease, fourth lowest prevalence of smoking and ninth lowest levels of obesity.
The Bay State won the honor in part due to having the lowest percentage of uninsured residents at just 2.7% of the population, plus a low prevalence of obesity and a high number of mental health providers. Rhode Island moved from 14th to 11th; New York from 13th to 10th. 
This latest report shows that the nation's health overall is getting worse. The nation's premature death rate -- the number of years of potential life lost before age 75 -- increased 3% since 2015. That increase is driven in part by drug deaths, which increased 7% during that time, and cardiovascular deaths, which went up 2%. Overall, the United States ranks 27th in terms of life expectancy in a comparison of 35 countries, according to the report. Long-term challenges remain — including infant mortality and low birthweight. Cardiovascular deaths and drug deaths also increased.
Connecticut’s strengths, according to the report, include the state’s low prevalence of smoking, low violent crime rate and low percentage of uninsured people. The state’s greatest challenges include a high drug death rate, high levels of air pollution and a large disparity in health status by educational attainment.
The report also identified the following highlights:
- In the past year, primary care physicians increased 6%, from 197.8 to 209.4 per 100,000 population
- In the past two years, children in poverty increased 33%, from 12.3% to 16.3% of children
- In the past five years, cancer deaths decreased 3% ,from 179.0 to 173.7 deaths per 100,000 population
- In the past three years, drug deaths increased 67%, from 11.0 to 18.4 deaths per 100,000 population
- In the past five years, the percentage uninsured decreased 44%, from 9.9% to 5.5% of the population
The article points out that “the connection between climate change and hurricanes has become hard for anyone to ignore.”
CPAN’s most recent contact expired in September, was extended through October, and was on a day-by-day basis this week. The 33-person staff worked with an annual operating budget that was unexpectedly reduced by 
Among the panelists will be former Senate President Pro Tempore Don Williams, former House Speaker James Amann, former Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, and former House Minority leader Lawrence Cafero. They will be joined by former House member Tim O’Brien, who served on the Government Administration and elections Committee, and Senate Co-Chair of that committee, Sen. Michael McLachlan.
A week ago, in an op-ed 
Flynn added that the law, passed in 2005, “allows candidates and officeholders to look out for the interests of all their constituents rather than being consumed with the needs of their major campaign contributors. It gives talented, motivated citizens who've never had the money or the connections traditionally required for success in politics a chance to seek and win public office with neither big money nor connections. Now, nearly 80 percent of all candidates for legislative and state offices use the program.” Qualifying candidates must raise $5,000 to $250,000 — depending whether they are seeking a statewide office or legislative seat — in $100 increments or less in order to receive a grant of public funds from the CEP.
t Hartford also looks forward to entering.
District teams identify one exemplary teacher from within their teaching populations. Each district nominee completes the state application in the ensuing months and submits it to the State Department of Education. Applications are distributed to members of a reading committee, and the results are tabulated to identify approximately fifteen semi-finalists.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 
ensus officials are necessary to obtain more accurate population and demographic counts. If those visits are reduced in order to cut costs, the accuracy of the census itself is likely to diminish, observers say. Connecticut, which does not have independent counts of its entire population, depends heavily on data derived from the U.S. Census for a host of policy and funding decisions.
Orders. Most historians agree the Fundamental Orders are significant, but the state of Connecticut decided in 1959 to call itself the Constitution State based on the premise that the Fundamental Orders were the first constitution in North America.
