Scotts Valley, California is a small city located in Santa Cruz County, with a population of about 11,000 people. Despite its size, the city has some excellent health care options available for local residents. Several hospitals and medical facilities are located within the city limits, including Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center Scotts Valley, Dominican Hospital and Palo Alto Medical Foundation. These provide a range of services from emergency care to primary care to women's health. In addition, there are many family physicians and specialists available in the area as well as urgent care centers open seven days a week. For those seeking alternative treatments or therapies, there are several chiropractors, naturopaths and acupuncturists in the area. Finally, Scotts Valley also boasts an active community dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles through sports activities such as running clubs and organized sports teams for kids. All in all, Scotts Valley provides an impressive range of health care options for its residents.
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 237 physicians per 100,000 population in Scotts Valley. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Scotts Valley area is 93.0 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
93.0 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Scotts Valley area is 29 (100=best). The US average is 55.
29 / 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 Scotts Valley 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 Scotts Valley commutes 27.8 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 Scotts Valley area is 77 (100=best). The US average is 58.
77 / 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.