Health
and Safety

Why is this important?

Areas of health and safety were identified in the phone survey of Tuolumne County residents as the most important in creating the quality of life people want and expect in our county. Our residents told us they want quality, available health care and emergency services. They want safety in their homes, valuing low rates of crime and abuse. This implies wanting individual health and safety, as well as community health and safety.

What is the measure?

The perception of good health by local residents is a significant feature of health status. In this section we seek to provide a statistical depiction of the actual condition of residents, to describe the scope of available local health care services and to quantify issues of special importance to Tuolumne County. Such special concerns include the spectrum of health care technology available in a rural region, and risks inherent in traveling on mountain roads.

Regarding safety issues, we again relied on statistics provided by a variety of sources covering crime rates, motor vehicle safety, juvenile crime, use of alcohol and drugs, and response times for fire and emergency medical services.

How are we doing?

In defining health, it is hard to avoid descriptions of illness. Indeed, this report documents the relative prevalence of numerous diseases in Tuolumne County. Health represents a state of functioning by which our bodies and communities operate not necessarily illness-free, but at peak efficiency. We cannot expect to achieve absence of illness, but we can hope to develop a community of individuals who are able to cope with the challenges that must be faced as human beings in society, thereby being as productive as possible.

Law enforcement and fire protection cover a broad range of services, which taken together and if generally successful should make people feel safe in their own homes and neighborhoods. Statistics show that we are lower than the state average in some crime classifications, and higher in others. Law officers are using grant dollars to augment their procedures and increase staffing. Working with our youth is of primary concern to all law enforcement.