County of Orange
Health Care Agency

Juliette A. Poulson, RN, MN
Director

Mark B. Horton, MD, MSPH
Deputy Agency Director/Health Officer
Public Health Services

Mailing Address:
515 N. Sycamore St.
Santa Ana, Ca 92701

E-Mail: PublicInfo@ochca.com
 

For Immediate Release
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2001

Contact: Howard Sutter
(714) 834-2178

Orange County Progresses Toward Healthy People 2010 Goals

(Santa Ana) – Orange County has met or is approaching ten of the twenty objectives set for the national Healthy People 2010 program, according to a new report from the California Department of Health Services.

The state’s annual report, County Health Status Profiles 2001, is released in conjunction with the observance of Public Health Week. Orange County has already met or exceeded goals for reducing motor vehicle and diabetes deaths, as well as increasing the initiation of breastfeeding. In addition, the county is approaching Healthy People 2010 objectives for lung cancer, breast cancer, measles, infant mortality, low birth weight, homicide and suicide.

County Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton is pleased with the county’s progress toward the national objectives. "Along with our performance as compared to the national goals, the report also shows Orange County performs better than statewide rates on 22 of the 26 health measures," said Dr. Horton. "However, the report indicates that we must make significant progress in several areas, including deaths due to cancer, coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. This information will be invaluable as we plan the county’s public health efforts for the coming years."

The complete report published by the California Department of Health Services is available on line at http://www.dhs.ca.gov/hisp/chs/phweek/cprofile2001/profile2001.htm.

# # #