Tag Archives: obesity

News

The Worst that Could Happen, State by State

Ranked state by state, here are all the terrible things that could happen to Americans. Infographic via topmastersinhealthcare.com

The state of health care is in serious flux these days, but before you start worrying about paying the hospital bill, consider what landed you on the gurney in the first place.

TopMastersinHealthCare.com calculated which fatalities, ailments, and generally bad things stand at getting a shot at you, based on which state you live in. And honestly, other than ranking 33rd in mental health (psh.. insanity, self-awareness; same difference), Washington is doing pretty alright.

Here’s what the infographic says about Washington and some of the other states, and the many ways things can go poorly. Pull up the interactive graph and play along.

Lightning strikes: Don’t worry too much during a storm, Washington ranks well at 7th place, whereas Florida comes in at 51st in the highest probability of getting struck.

Murder Rate: It’s 2.4 per 100,000 people in WA state (162 total in 2011), but despite our comparatively low murder rate, Washington comes in at 11th, just one ranking shy of being in the top ten states with the lowest rate of murder. Still, considering 51st place winner Washington DC has a rate of 17.5 per hundred thousand people, I’d say we’re looking pretty safe.

Traffic Fatalities: Keeping up with our low and favorable scores, Washington ranks 6th, which I find amusing since AllState seems to think Seattleites are some of the worst drivers. And the win for least amount of traffic fatalities by state goes to Wyoming. Shocking, right?

Cancer Deaths: Unfortunately, Washington is 27th in rank for deaths by cancer, just past the tipping point of the middle of the line. But apparently no one is dying of cancer in Utah, the state that comes in at 1st for most cancer free. At the opposite end of the spectrum, West Virginia ranks highest for cancer deaths. They also take the second highest spaces for obesity and loss of teeth — yikes.

Incarceration Rate: Mississippi and Louisiana are not the places to be if you want to avoid getting locked up. Comparatively, Washington is in the 10 states with the lowest scores. Cheers, everyone. And Maine gets 1st place in the lowest amount of jailbirds.

Obesity Rate: If you thought Texas, you’d only be sort of right. Texas is 37th, but Mississippi has the widest margin of obesity for its residents at 51st. Washington comes in at 20th place with 24.5 percent.

Loss of Teeth: Washingtonians definitely appreciate their teeth. We come in 6th place for the finest (and most complete) sets of pearls, with Mississippi coming in toothlessly at 51st.

Gonorrhea: If you look at the graph, the bacterial STD seems to have started and stopped with the midwest and the south. Apart from Texas and a few others, Gonorrhea is least prevalent in states west of the Mississippi, and Washington is no exception — we’re at 14th place for those with the clap.

Chlamydia: Again, the graph is very visually telling. Every southern state ranks high for chlamydia, but DC takes the cake with 932 infected per 100,000 people. Washington ranks 12th.

Unemployment Rate: Nevada has the highest amount of those unemployed, with Illinois taking a close second. Washington? It’s not terrible, but it’s also not great. The Evergreen state ranks 28th in unemployment. So where are people never at a loss for a job? A place with also a good amount of real estate: North Dakota.

Mental Heath: Among adults admitting to mental health problems, Washington ranks high at 33rd place, our highest score yet. At least we’re not Illinois, who ranks highest in realm of the mentally unstable. And at the other end, no one is going insane (or admitting to it) in South Dakota.

All things considered, things look pretty good for Washington State residents. Knock on wood.

Want more? Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and let’s be friends. 

News, Transportation, Travel

Will King Street Station Adopt a Greyhound? (Plus, Seattle’s Jumbo Ferry Passenger Problem)

King Street Station (Photo: MvB)

Crosscut alerts you the impending eviction of Greyhound from its Stewart Street location downtown. After 83 years in that spot, redevelopment has caught up with them, and they need to find a new station by April of 2013. Previously, planners had wanted to add Greyhound into the King Street Station‘s multimodal mix, so you could catch an Amtrak, Sounder, or light rail train; a Metro bus or city streetcar; or a Greyhound.

But Amtrak, rail freight giant BNSF, and Greyhound were never able to agree on where Greyhound might fit in at the station–perfectly happy in its old location, Greyhound was under no pressure to agree a reduced presence, or even curbside service. Now Greyhound is howling for attention, says C.B. Hall:

Greyhound’s first choice, says district manager Mike Timlin, “would be to go in with King Street Station, with other providers, to turn King Street into a sort of intermodal hub.” […] “We’re keeping all options open,” Timlin said. “We may have to leave the City of Seattle if we can’t find anything reasonably priced within the city limits.”

Greyhound CEO David Leach has asked for a sit-down with Mayor Mike McGinn, whose office has not been quick to arrange the meeting. [UPDATE: McGinn spokesman Aaron Pickus says the meeting is scheduled for the second week of January, and disputes my suggestion of any foot-dragging on their part, saying: “We received the CEO’s letter in early December and were calling Greyhound soon after to set up a meeting. We’ve already met with OED and SDOT and WSDOT will be meeting soon.”]

Meanwhile, Seattlepi.com/KOMO reports that the Coast Guard has issued new maximum passenger limits for ferries, because, due to the American obesity epidemic, the average American now weighs 185 pounds. (The old regulations had been based on an average between 140 and 160 pounds.) So, a ferry that could carry 2,000 passengers will be rated to carry over 200 fewer people. Ferries don’t often meet passenger-carrying capacity, so riders won’t likely find themselves stranded. It’s just one of those stories that everyone can cluck disapprovingly about, for their own reasons.