County Council, Health Professionals Host 'Healthy Communities' Event at Bowie Senior Center

Amid a greater national and local awareness on health—the National Health Reform, Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign and Bowie’s recent ban on smoking on city property—approximately 60 county residents gathered with the Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday night to discuss the health issues surrounding the county.

The Bowie Senior Center hosted the county council’s “Healthy Communities – The Prince George’s County Health System Update” on April 5, which also included representatives from Dimensions Healthcare System, the Prince George’s County Health Department and the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

During the meeting, County Health Officer Dr. Donald Shell reported startling statistics: According to the 2011 County Health Rankings, among the 24 jurisdictions in Maryland, Prince George’s County ranks 17th for “Health Outcomes” and 18th for “Health Factors.” Specifically, the county ranks 19th for mortality or years of potential life lost before 75 years old.

One factor of low mortality is the physical environment, which ranks 23rd, and includes air pollution, access to healthy foods and recreational facilities. Even though access to healthy foods is high—91 percent of zip codes in the county have access to a healthy food outlet—32 percent of adult residents are obese.

Beyond the physical environment, 22 percent of residents under 65 years old are without health insurance, compared to 17 percent for the rest of the state, and the ratio of population to primary care providers in the county is 1,022 to 1, compared to the national benchmark of 631 to 1.

To improve the statistics, Shell stressed the importance of individuals taking responsibility for their health by developing healthy habits early on.

“The health of the county depends on the health of the individuals in the county,” he said. “Once your body begins to experience poor diet and nutrition, there is nothing you can do to prevent problems from occurring.”

To help residents form healthy habits, Bill Sheehan of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation announced two initiatives. The first, Prescription Recreation, aims to connect physicians with the Department of Parks and Recreation by having doctors prescribe a fitness program that can be given to personal trainers at various department facilities. The second initiative includes utilizing the Achieve Grant the department received by partnering with the county’s health department to promote healthy diets, Sheehan said.

In addition to Parks and Recreation’s plans, Dimensions Healthcare System, the largest provider of healthcare services in the county, announced its own plan to prevent problems before they occur for county residents by partnering with Children’s National Medical Center.  

Dr. Joseph Wright from Children’s said he hoped the partnership with Dimensions would prevent onset of chronic conditions by focusing on children and instilling good habits. He hopes to “get ahead of determinants” involved in health issues, he said.

“Our goal is to meet the healthcare needs of the residents of Prince George’s County through strategic alliances with health care leaders like Children’s National that will partner with us in defining and implementing a thorough effort that will move the needle on children’s health,” said Dimensions CEO Kenneth Glover in a press release about the announcement.

Most residents in attendance found the forum very informative and encouraging.

"What struck me was that 10 years ago, infant mortality [in the county] was a federal focus, and it is still an issue,” said Jacqui Steele of Upper Marlboro. “I’m glad to see people addressing it.”

Rachel Audi from Cheverly was pleased with the plans from the county but would like to see it go even further. As part of Progressive Cheverly she and other members of the group are compiling information to make a recommendation to the council to create a county health board, she said.