Valley Center, KS is a small rural community located north of Wichita in Sedgwick County. The town has a population of about 4,000 people and is known for its friendly people and peaceful atmosphere. Despite its small size, Valley Center has plenty of health and medical resources available to meet the needs of local residents. There are two local hospitals in town, both offering a wide range of services including emergency care, primary care visits, specialty care services, physical therapy and more. Additionally there are several private medical practices offering their own unique services such as family medicine, optometry and women’s health. For those needing further specialised care there are even regional referral centers within easy driving distance from Valley Center. All these facilities combined make it easy for residents to access quality healthcare when they need it.
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 212 physicians per 100,000 population in Valley Center. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Valley Center area is 98.7 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
98.7 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Valley Center area is 35 (100=best). The US average is 55.
35 / 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 Valley Center area is 86 (100=best). The US average is 87.
86 / 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 Valley Center commutes 21.8 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Valley Center area is 67 (100=best). The US average is 58.
67 / 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.