When Juneau County ranked last among the stateâ??s counties in health status four years ago, local officials got mad — and then took action to improve the countyâ??s health.
They opened a dental clinic for the poor and started offering reduced rates at medical clinics. They gave prenatal care to more pregnant women and handed out books to children.
Itâ??s too early to know how much those steps have helped. But researchers from UW-Madison hope similar activity takes root around the country Wednesday, when their annual county health rankings for Wisconsin expand nationwide.