Health director says mortality report not a concern on individual level

A new study by Washington State University's medical school in Spokane found higher mortality rates on the eastern side of the state, but health officials say the subject is a lot more complicated than what was captured in the study.

Troy Henderson, director of the Whitman County Department of Public Health, said eating well, exercising and putting on a seat belt when driving have more significant effects on individual health.

"Humans are almost infinitely different from one another," Henderson said. "These broadstroke statements can drive policy and help us look at ways to make our communities safer, but as to how it pertains to you as an individual, it's less important."

Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine researchers compared health and mortality data between two sides of the state, finding that of the ten leading causes of death in Washington, the West side only has a higher rate when it comes to drug overdoses.

Henderson said holding agricultural jobs and having longer distances to travel to home, work and the doctor's office affects Eastern Washington mortality rates.

"(Accidents) happen more here than if you're in Seattle working in an office," Henderson said. "Rural areas are also disadvantaged when it comes to medical, dental, behavioral health and social service access."

"Even if road safety is exactly the same, you're going to log more miles in Whitman County," Henderson said.

Traffic accidents contribute significantly to mortality and injury rates in Whitman County, Henderson said. There were eight deaths involving a motor vehicle in Whitman County in 2017, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Five of those who died had seat belts on.

"We drive quite a few miles, and we have winter weather that's not always incredibly friendly," Henderson said. "Six inches of fresh snow doesn't affect the subway as much as a long highway drive."

Several accidents during a bad winter are enough to skew county data, Henderson said.

"If you have three incidents in a county of 40,000 people, it really shifts the data a lot," Henderson said. "In a population center like King County, you don't see a lot of those irregularities in the data as often."

To view the online interactive study, visit http://www.chaselab.net/WAReport_Leaflet/index.html.