Winston-Salem, NC is a vibrant city with an abundance of healthcare resources. The city has three major hospitals; Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and Novant Health Salemtowne Medical Plaza. These facilities provide comprehensive services from general check-ups to more specialized treatments such as cardiology, neurology and orthopedics. The area also includes a number of community health centers such as Forsyth County Department of Public Health and Family Services, Community Care of North Carolina, the Visiting Nurse Association and Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Each one offers preventive care, primary care and mental health services to residents of Winston-Salem and the surrounding communities. Pharmacies are numerous throughout the City as well, providing easy access to medications for those who need them. In addition to these resources, many doctors have private practices in Winston-Salem that cater to the individual needs of their patients. All together this creates a robust network of healthcare providers that can offer medical attention to any resident who needs 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 344 physicians per 100,000 population in Winston-Salem. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Winston-Salem area is 106.7 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
106.7 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Winston-Salem area is 79 (100=best). The US average is 55.
79 / 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 Winston-Salem area is 97 (100=best). The US average is 87.
97 / 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 Winston-Salem commutes 20.6 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 Winston-Salem area is 57 (100=best). The US average is 58.
57 / 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.