Heart disease and cancer are the top two causes of death for residents of McKean County, according to results released by the state Department of Health.
County health profiles for 2012-2016 for all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are available on the agency’s website. The profiles also give information on births.
According to the data, the leading causes of death are heart disease, at a rate of 847 deaths per 100,000 people; cancer, at a rate of 239.5 deaths per 100,000 people; and chronic lower respiratory diseases like COPD at 55.7.
The rate of heart disease puts McKean County second in the state, with Schuylkill County highest at 245.5.
Dennis McCarthy, director of marketing for Twin Tier at Kaleida Health, spoke on behalf of Bradford Regional Medical Center. He noted the data is countywide and not all just for BRMC patients or outcomes.
Regarding the report, McCarthy said, “Some of these health issues are lifestyle related — nutrition, smoking, obesity, diabetes, etc.
“Much of the answer lies more in lifestyle changes, which we strive for through patient education,” he continued.
McKean County had higher than average rates of some other illnesses too — giardiasis and Lyme disease. The rate for giardiasis was 14.2 per 100,000; the state’s rate was 5.2. Clarion County had the state’s highest rate, at 24.
The rate for Lyme disease was 201.8 per 100,000; the state’s rate was 73.9. The highest rate in the state was in Cameron County, at 506.5.
“Lyme disease is a growing issue in most areas of the northeast portion of the country, not just locally,” McCarthy added.
Terrie O’Brien, from infection control/patient safety at BRMC, talked about the risk of illnesses spread in the outdoors, and how rural hospitals must be prepared to address them.
“Because of our beautiful rural location, and the increased opportunity for interaction with the natural resources afforded us in McKean County, healthcare providers also have a heightened awareness of the diseases that are transmitted related to these interactions,” she said.
“Giardia has been on our radar since the 1970s when there was an outbreak here, the healthcare community has not forgotten this and prefers to prevent Giardia through education related to not drinking from the lakes and streams,” O’Brien said.
“When individuals do present with symptoms of the illness, providers are well versed in diagnosis and treatment,” she added. “The same is true for Lyme disease. Pennsylvania has seen a significant increase in the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease for the past ten to fifteen years. Our providers are very aware of this fact. Because of this, we have been proactive in testing, diagnosing and treating Lyme disease in our community.”
Also in the report was information regarding births in McKean County. The report noted 33.8 percent of births were via cesarean section, while the state average was 30.6 percent.
However, data from BRMC indicated the rate for C-sections there was 17.6 percent, which is lower than the targeted rate. BRMC is the only hospital in the county with labor and delivery services. The reason for the difference in rates was not immediately clear.
