A new report finds the healthiest county in Illinois is Douglas County, in the central part of the state, and the least healthy is Alexander County, at the state's southern tip.

The report released today is from University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The contrast between the healthiest and unhealthiest counties is stark: The rate of low birth weight babies is twice as high in Alexander County compared to Douglas County, and the rate of births to teenagers is more than double.

Alexander County has fewer dentists and primary care doctors per capita compared to Douglas County. Fewer women get mammograms in Alexander County and fewer people with diabetes get regular blood sugar screening to help them control their condition.






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