The health of the residents of Wilkes-Barre, PA is a top priority for local healthcare providers. There are a number of hospitals and medical facilities located in and around the city that offer quality services to those in need. The Geisinger Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and St. Luke's Hospital are among the most prominent healthcare providers in the area. These hospitals combined offer a wide variety of services ranging from emergency care to specialized treatments and preventive care. Other local medical facilities such as family practice clinics, urgent care centers, mental health centers, and dentists also provide essential services to residents of Wilkes-Barre. The community also has access to several specialty care options such as dermatology, orthopedics, oncology, cardiology, neurology and more. By providing these resources to local residents, healthcare providers are helping ensure that everyone in Wilkes-Barre has access to quality care when they need it most.
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 210 physicians per 100,000 population in Wilkes-Barre (zip 18701). The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Wilkes-Barre (zip 18701) area is 104.8 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
104.8 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Wilkes-Barre (zip 18701) 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 Wilkes-Barre (zip 18701) area is 78 (100=best). The US average is 87.
78 / 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 Wilkes-Barre (zip 18701) commutes 22.1 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 Wilkes-Barre (zip 18701) area is 59 (100=best). The US average is 58.
59 / 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.