FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – The 25 million people who live among the Appalachian mountains have struggled to keep up with health gains of the rest of the nation, falling behind in most major public health indicators, according to a study released Thursday.
The report shows the 13-state region lags the rest of the country in 33 out of 41 population health indicators, including seven of the leading 10 causes of death in the United States. Deaths by poisoning, which include drug overdoses, were 37 percent higher than the rest of the country – a testament to the opioid addiction crisis that has gripped the area for years.
Central Appalachia, which is mostly in the eastern portion Kentucky, was the worst of the worst. It led all other regions of Appalachia in deaths from heart disease, cancer, lung disease, injuries and diabetes. In the category of “years of potential life lost,” a measure of premature deaths, central Appalachia lost more than 11,200 years from 2011 to 2013. No other Appalachian region was above 9,200.
“I think it’s a wakeup call,” said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which issued the study along with the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We are dealing with real challenges in Appalachian Kentucky and the health of the entire state, both economically and physically.”
A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky said the report highlights why states “need flexibility to tailor programs like Medicaid to the unique needs of their populations.”