The health in Somerville, MA is very good. The city is home to many local hospitals and medical facilities that provide quality care for residents. These include Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Tufts Medical Center and the Somerville Hospital. There are also several urgent care facilities in the area as well as a variety of specialty clinics and practices offering everything from general medicine to advanced treatments. The city has also implemented various initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle such as promoting active transportation, healthy eating, and increasing access to healthcare services through free clinics or reduced-cost programs. All of these efforts work together to ensure that Somerville residents have access to quality care when they need it most.
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 371 physicians per 100,000 population in Somerville. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Somerville area is 82.7 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
82.7 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Somerville area is 43 (100=best). The US average is 55.
43 / 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 Somerville area is 83 (100=best). The US average is 87.
83 / 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 Somerville commutes 31.6 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 Somerville area is 46 (100=best). The US average is 58.
46 / 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.