Morgan is a healthy place to live

Morgan County is just about the healthiest place in Utah to live. For the last couple of years, it has ranked #1 or #2 among Utah counties in health factors and outcomes. It has ranked among the top Utah counties since 2015 when the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation began studying these factors across the country.

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps is “a tool(s) we use at the health department to help us strategically plan our interventions in our communities and make sure that we're doing programs that are beneficial and needed in that process,” Brian Cowan, executive director of the Weber Morgan Health Department, told Morgan County commissioners in a presentation at their June 20 meeting.

Last year Morgan County was #1 in the state for health outcomes which indicate how healthy a county is currently. This is determined by length of life, premature death, quality of life, level of health, poor physical and mental health days and low birthweight. The county was #2 in health factors, those things that can be modified to improve the length and quality of life for residents. They include access to quality education, living wage jobs, quality clinical care, nutritious foods, green spaces and secure and affordable housing.  For example, just 5 percent of children in Morgan County are in single-parent households compared to 9 percent in Utah and 17 percent nationally. 

This year Morgan County dropped to #2 in health outcomes and moved up to #1 in health factors. Several factors go into these scores, public information officer Lori Buttars said. 

“We would like to congratulate Morgan County on their healthy lifestyle and all the things they are doing right,” Kristen Kingston, the health department’s informaticist, said later.

There are just a few areas where Morgan County could improve, she said. For example, in 2023, 38 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths in Morgan County involved alcohol compared to 22 percent statewide and 27 percent nationwide. (Buttars cautioned that since Morgan has such a small population, even one or two cases can significantly affect percentages). Also, not all female residents who should are getting annual mammograms. Additionally, the statistics indicate that the number of dentists in Morgan County is not keeping up with the growth, she said.

These reports are extremely helpful because they highlight the areas that need improvement, Kingston said. “We will then take those topics and incorporate them into our continued health improvement plan where we will work with our community partners in Morgan over the next five years to get those statistics to improve.”

The Weber Morgan Health Department also uses this data in applying for federal grants, she said. “When we apply for a grant, we can look at an area and see what the driving factors are.” For example, the health department has applied for a grant to address the dangers of lead paint in housing in Morgan County. “The housing stock around the older part of the Morgan downtown area is such that it is of the age where lead paint was used,” Kingston said.  “Hopefully the lead paint has been replaced by now, but we can do an education campaign for people who are remodeling or perhaps young families who are interested in planting a garden where they could have their soil or walls of their home tested.”

The Weber Morgan Health Department provides services in Morgan at an office in the lower level of the Morgan City building at 90 W. Young St. These include immunizations, a food handler’s class and the Women Infant and Children supplemental nutrition program. The office is fully staffed but since staff members may be out working in the community, those who are interested should schedule appointments by calling 801-399-7155.

“The best way to get more services up there is to use our services so that we can demonstrate the need there,” Kingston said. λ