Although health indicators assist in understanding the health of a particular population, they do not tell the whole story. For example, infant mortality rates are different by race, with higher mortality rates of 9.2 deaths for every 1,000 black births and 5.5 deaths for every 1,000 Hispanic births, compared to 3.6 deaths for every 1,000 white births. Infants born to black mothers most frequently die of a disorders related to short gestation or low birth weight, while infants born to white mothers most frequently die of congenital abnormalities. Data on infants born to Hispanic mothers was not available. Other measures of health tell similar stories of inequity: amongst Medicare beneficiaries 65+, black and Hispanic residents have an increased rate of hospitalization due to high blood pressure, compared to their white neighbors; and black residents have a higher rate of hospitalization due to heart disease. These differences can be partially attributed to social determinants of health, which, according to the World Health Organization, are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age.
Montgomery County consists of a 491 square miles that border Frederick and Howard Counties to the north, Fairfax County to the west, Prince George’s County to the east and Washington DC to the south. With more than 1,000,000 residents, it is the most populous county in Maryland. In 2018, Montgomery County earned the distinction of being named the healthiest county in Maryland by the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings and Community Roadmaps Project.
