The health of Penobscot, ME is important to the community. There are a number of local hospitals and medical facilities in the area that provide quality healthcare services to residents. These include Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, Penobscot Valley Hospital, and Eastern Maine Medical Center. All of these hospitals offer a variety of services including primary care, emergency services, preventative care, and specialty services such as cardiology and oncology. Additionally there are various community health centers throughout the city that provide free or low cost health services to those who need it. All these options provide access to quality healthcare for all members of the community regardless of socio-economic status or ability to pay. So while population numbers may not reflect it directly, overall Penobscot is committed to maintaining good health among its citizens.
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 240 physicians per 100,000 population in Penobscot. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Penobscot area is 128.6 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
128.6 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Penobscot area is 60 (100=best). The US average is 55.
60 / 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 Penobscot area is 73 (100=best). The US average is 87.
73 / 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 Penobscot commutes 27.0 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 Penobscot area is 93 (100=best). The US average is 58.
93 / 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.