Valencia County, New Mexico is a rural area located south of Albuquerque. It has an estimated population of 74,820 people and covers an area of 2,569 square miles. Health care in the county is provided by several local hospitals and medical facilities. The region's largest hospital, Valencia Regional Medical Center, provides comprehensive medical services and a full range of specialty services for the community and surrounding areas. Other medical centers include The Physicians Group at Valencia Regional Medical Center, which offer primary care services such as family medicine and pediatrics; Los Lunas Medical Center, which provides a 24-hour emergency department for the community; Westside Hospital, which provides 24-hour emergency room services and specialized pediatric care; Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital offering a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient health services; Lea Regional Medical Center providing advanced cardiovascular care; Coronado Hospital offering general acute care health services; as well as other smaller clinics and private practitioners. All these healthcare facilities help ensure that residents in Valencia County are provided with quality healthcare services to meet their physical needs.
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 37 physicians per 100,000 population in Valencia County. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Valencia County area is 86.1 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
86.1 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Valencia County area is 33 (100=best). The US average is 55.
33 / 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 Valencia County 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 Valencia County commutes 28.8 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 Valencia County area is 74 (100=best). The US average is 58.
74 / 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.