Health

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Works for a Healthier Community

Whether it is a neighbor without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is working to ensure everyone has access to affordable and quality care.

Our Goal

Last year, United Way partner agencies improved the safety and well being of 12,594 lives.  This year, we want to help even more people live and feel better.  From counseling to sheltering, we’ve been working to boost healthy behaviors in our community.

Our Strategy

Achieving our goal requires us all to become more aware of health risks and the potential effects they have on ourselves and others, starting from before birth. Working to change policies and practices, such as extending health care coverage, will enable more people to live healthier lives.

Health Facts

• More than 33% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s 25 million kids and teenagers.
• Children with health coverage are better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life.¹
• The number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily since the beginning of the century, now totaling about 47 million. More than 80% are working families.²
• 8.7 million children live without health insurance – more than the total number enrolled in the first and second grades in U.S. public schools.³

¹Institute of Medicine. From Neurons to Neighborhood: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2000.)
²Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from the March Current Population Survey, 2007 Supplement.
³Compiled by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), University of Minnesota School of Public Health, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey 2007.