EDITORIAL: New ranking does not speak well for Macon-Bibb health

It's hard to get happy about Macon-Bibb County's ranking on health outcomes by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. There are 159 counties in the state and Macon-Bibb came in at 146. That's not good. The first question that may come to mind is how did our surrounding counties do? Houston County is ranked 15; Jones, 32; Crawford, 53; Monroe, 55; Pulaski 63; Twiggs, 104 and Peach 122 (the complete list can be found at: http://goo.gl/2bkSUW.

The biggest issues in Macon-Bibb County are low birth weight babies, a problem that has been a constant for decades, coupled with low high school graduation rates, high rates of adult smokers, obesity, unemployment, crime and sexually-transmitted diseases.

There is good news, however. There are people committed to doing something about it. Look for events surrounding National Public Health Week, April 4-8, and there is a special plan underway to address childhood obesity and teenage pregnancy. While the news of the report aren't good, it does shine a light on problems that are easy to hide until they present themselves at our emergency rooms.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 9:49 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: New ranking does not speak well for Macon-Bibb health ."