East Porterville, CA is a small rural community located in Tulare County. It is a low income area with limited access to resources and services. Unfortunately, the health status of this community is far below the average Californian. The poverty rate in East Porterville has been increasing over the past few years and there are few local hospitals or medical facilities available to meet the needs of its residents. Though there are some basic primary care providers such as family physicians, dentists and optometrists, they often lack the capacity or expertise to provide more specialized healthcare services. This lack of access to quality healthcare has contributed to poor health outcomes for many of its citizens, including higher rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension and obesity. In order to improve the health of its population, East Porterville needs more investment in local hospitals and medical facilities as well as more comprehensive public health initiatives that can increase access to healthcare and provide accessible preventative care services.
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 97 physicians per 100,000 population in East Porterville. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the East Porterville area is 93.7 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
93.7 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the East Porterville area is 30 (100=best). The US average is 55.
30 / 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 Porterville area is 92 (100=best). The US average is 87.
92 / 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 Porterville commutes 30.8 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 Porterville area is 63 (100=best). The US average is 58.
63 / 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.