Thursday, March 30, 2017

Worcester County ranked among least healthy in state

By Scott O'Connell
Telegram & Gazette Staff

A new set of national health rankings puts Worcester County among the least healthy counties in Massachusetts.

Created by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in New Jersey and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the eighth annual "County Health Rankings" lists Worcester 9th out of the 14 counties in the state in health outcomes and 11th in health factors.

Coming in below Worcester were counties like Suffolk, Bristol and Hampden. Populating the top of the rankings were Norfolk, Nantucket and Middlesex counties.

Worcester County didn't perform badly in all categories; it was ranked 6th in the state for clinical care services, for example, and 8th in social and economic factors like high school graduation rates, unemployment, and childhood poverty rates. The county also had the 8th highest length of life ranking in the state.

But Worcester is worse off in the quality of life and health behaviors – ranked 11th apiece – as well as the region's physical environment, which came in 12th in the state, according to the rankings.

Janice B. Yost, president & CEO of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, said those results aren't surprising, considering health is determined strongly by socioeconomic factors like level of income and educational attainment.

"It allows you to live in good housing, afford fresh foods," she said, which in turn help determine how healthily a person is able to live.

Say It Aint So! SNOW!

Say It Aint So!

SNOW!

From: BOX Operations - NOAA Service Account [mailto:box.operations@noaa.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4:37 AM
To: _NWS ER Taunton TVMets; _NWS ER Taunton Additional Email; _NWS ER Taunton_EM_Call
Subject: Update on Wintry Weather Potential Early Fri - Sat

Good morning everyone,

We continue to monitor for accumulating snow Friday which then looks to transition to a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain especially along and north of the Mass Pike Friday night into early Saturday.

It is looking more likely that precipitation may begin as an initial period of snow late Thursday night into Friday morning. This will change to rain and a wintry mix from south to north through the day on Friday. Cooling temperatures Friday evening will then bring the more significant potential for snow and ice Friday night. Timing remains uncertain with this update. We will include a first cut at snow totals through Saturday morning, but these are likely to change some as we approach.

What: Accumulating Snow/Sleet Possible. Low risk for a bit of freezing rain across highest terrain.
· Accumulating snow/sleet possible early Friday morning into Friday night.
· Precipitation is most likely to remain snow all day Friday in the high terrain and northern portions of Massachusetts.
· Uncertain if snow will accumulate on roadways outside the high terrain.

When and Where: Friday and Friday night with a focus on the high terrain north of MA Turnpike.
· Snow may develop across most of the region early Friday morning.
· The Friday AM rush hour may be impacted.
· Snow may change to sleet and rain across much of the region through the day on Friday, and into Friday night.
· Bulk of precipitation should come to an end Sat morning.

From Weather Underground for Baldwinville: