East St. Louis, IL is a city that has seen its share of hardship in recent decades. Despite this, the city’s health infrastructure is improving. There are several hospitals and medical facilities, including the Gateway Regional Medical Center, Memorial Hospital East, and Saint Louis University Hospital that offer quality care to those in need. In addition to these main facilities, there are also several private physician practices located throughout East St. Louis providing primary care services as well as specialty care options for a wide range of medical issues. The city also has numerous walk-in clinics and urgent care centers that provide quick access to health professionals when needed. With all these resources available, residents of East St. Louis have access to quality healthcare without having to travel far from home.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 152 physicians per 100,000 population in East St. Louis. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the East St. Louis area is 103.8 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
103.8 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the East St. Louis area is 20 (100=best). The US average is 55.
20 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the East St. Louis area is 79 (100=best). The US average is 87.
79 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in East St. Louis commutes 26.7 minutes one-way, which is longer than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the East St. Louis area is 47 (100=best). The US average is 58.
47 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.