Once again, Chautauqua County fared poorly compared to other New York counties in the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The county typically ranks in the bottom 10 of New York’s 54 counties overall, scoring particularly poorly in quality of life rankings, health behaviors, social and economic factors and physical environment. There is a cost to such poor health behaviors – lost productivity at work, increased medical bills, increased spending on programs such as Medicaid and Medicare; and mounting medical bills for those on fixed incomes. Fixing those behaviors takes time and education, which makes Chautauqua County’s interest in the ICE8 program particularly interesting.

ICE8 was recently discussed at a Jamestown Strategic Planning and Partnerships Commission Health Care Action Team meeting by Christine Schuyler, county social services commissioner. Schuyler said the program is meant to educate children from a young age about social ills like drugs, obesity and unemployment and is modeled on a comprehensive health education program the state of Michigan and the Center for Disease Control have been using. The eight components of the coordinated school health program, according to the Center for Disease Control’s website, include: health education; physical education; health services; nutrition services; counseling, psychological and social services; a healthy and safe school environment; health promotion for staff; and family/community involvement.

Such education would likely have a lasting impact on both poor health outcomes as seen in the Johnson Foundation rankings and in the county’s continued fight to lessen drug addiction. Right now, county officials are struggling to find funding to implement ICE8 throughout the county. There will also have to be continuing efforts to get parents and school boards to agree to participate.

We hope Schuyler’s efforts are successful. Changing the culture that has created Chautauqua County’s poor health will take a generation, as was so well stated by Dr. Lillian Vitanza Ney, HCAT chairwoman, but that doesn’t mean the work shouldn’t begin now. County residents should ask their local school boards to hear Schuyler’s pitch and find money to implement this countywide program.