Kathleen Sebelus is Obama’s pick for HHS Secretary

President Obama picks Kathleen Sebelus as Health and Human Services Secretary. Kathleen is the Governor of middle state Kansas. Kansas ranks 22nd in the 2008 America’s Health Rankings. A few more KS stats:

Strengths:
Few poor mental and physical health days.
High immunization coverage.
Low prevalence of smoking.

Challenges:
Low per capita public health funding.
Limited access to primary care.
Moderate rate of preventable hospitalizations.

27.7% of the KS population is obese.

See the full Kansas state rankings here.

So how does Kansas compare to your state???

Click ahead to see a few interesting ranks and facts for the other fifty states…..

America’s Health Rankings 2008:

Alaska: Ranked 30. Strengths: Low levels of air pollution. Challenges: High violent crime rate.

California: Rank: 24 Strengths: Low prevalence of smoking, obesity and cancer deaths. Challenges: High levels of air pollution and uninsured population.

Oregon: Rank: 16 Strengths: Low prevalence of smoking, few poor mental health days. Challenges: Low immunization coverage, high rate of uninsured.

Washington: Rank 10 Strengths: Low prevalence of smoking and children in poverty. Challenges: Low high school graduation rate and immunization coverage.

Hawaii: Rank 2 Strengths: Low rate of uninsured, low levels of air pollution, strong public health funding. Challenges: High prevalence of binge drinking.

Colorado: Rank 19 Strengths: Low prevalence of obesity, low levels of air pollution, low rates of cancer and cardiovascular deaths. Challenges: High rate of uninsured.

Texas: Rank 46 Strengths: low cancer deaths Challenges: Limited access to primary care, high rate of uninsured, high percentage of children in poverty, high incidence of infectious diseases.

Oklahoma Rank: 43 Strengths: Low prevalence of binge drinking Challenges: High prevalence of smoking and cardiovascular deaths. Limited access to primary care.

Nebraska: Rank 13 Strengths: High rate of high school graduation, low levels of air pollution. Challenges: High prevalence of binge drinking.

Wyoming Rank: 14 Strengths: Strong public health funding, low infant mortality rate, low violent crime rate. Challenges: Low immunization coverage, high prevalence of smoking and binge drinking.

Montana: Rank 23 Strengths: Low prevalence of obesity, air pollution and infectious disease. Challenges: Low immunization coverage.

Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota and South Dakota: High levels of binge drinking.

Minnesota: Rank 4 Strengths: low premature death, prevalence of smoking and cardiovascular disease deaths. Challenges: Low per capita public health funding.

Arkansas: Rank 43 Strengths: Low prevalence of binge drinking Challenges: High prevalence of obesity, high rates of cancer deaths, high premature death rate.

Louisiana: Rank 50 Strengths: Low prevalence of binge drinking, strong public health funding Challenges: High percentage of children in poverty, high rate of uninsured, high rate of preventable hospitalizations.

Mississippi: Rank: 49 Strengths: Low binge drinking, low violent crime rate. Challenges: High percentage of children in poverty, high prevalence of obesity, high rate of cardiovascular disease deaths, low rate of high school graduation.

Florida: Rank 45 Strengths: Low prevalence of obesity. Challenges: High rate of uninsured, high rate of infectious diseases.

Virginia: Rank 20 Strengths: Low violent crime rate, strong public health funding. Challenges: low immunization coverage.

Pennsylvania: Rank 27 Strengths: High rate of high school graduation, low rate of uninsured. Challenges: High levels of air pollution, high rate of preventable hospitalizations.

New York: Rank: 25 Strengths: Ready access to primary care, high immunization coverage. Challenges: high incidence of infectious disease, high percentage of children in poverty.

Vermont Rank: 1 Strengths: Low percentage of children in poverty, low prevalence of obesity, low premature death rate. Challenges: high prevalence of binge drinking.

Connecticut: Rank 7 Strengths: Low prevalence of smoking, obesity and high immunization coverage. Challenges: high incidence of infectious disease,

Massachusetts: Rank 6 Strengths: Low premature death rate, low prevalence of obesity, access to primary care. Challenges: high prevalence of binge drinking.

Rhode Island: Rank 11 Strengths: low prevalence of obesity, low violent crime. Challenges: high prevalence of binge drinking.

Prevalence of Smoking (lowest):
1. Utah
2. California
3. Connecticut
4. Massachusetts
5. Minnesota

Prevalence of obesity (lowest):
1. Colorado
2. Massachusetts
3. Connecticut
4. Rhode Island
5. Hawaii

Children in Poverty (lowest):
1. New Hampshire
2. Hawaii
3. New Jersey
4. Vermont
5. Hawaii