Berrien County Task Force Looks to Reduce Health Care Gap

"Being healthy has a lot to do with a paycheck.

"Good jobs are the best thing you can do for public health," said Duane McBride, chairman of the Berrien County Board of Health, during a discussion this week with health department employees on the connections between employment and personal well-being.

Theresa Green, director of community health planning for the department, on Wednesday screened a portion of a documentary, "Unnatural Causes" (subtitled "Not Just a Paycheck"), which chronicled the impact of industrial layoffs on the west Michigan town of Greenville. In 2006, refrigerator manufacturer Electrolux, based in Sweden, moved 3,000 jobs from Greenville to Mexico.

In the year after the plant closed, the number of reported cases of depression, attempted suicide and domestic violence in Greenville reportedly tripled.

Board of health members noted the similar loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs in Berrien County.

Ultimately, wealth is the most reliable predictor of health, said Green, who in August formed the Health Equity Task Force through a $15,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health. The task force seeks to reduce health disparities between the poor and other residents of Berrien County.

Children who live in poverty are seven times more likely to be in poor health than those in higher-income households..."

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/10/09/local_news/2101983.txt