Skyrocketing death rate in rural Arizona is concerning

I live in a more rural part of Arizona. One complaint I hear often is the difficulty in finding and keeping qualified doctors and specialists in our area.

It’s not our imagination. A new report from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) confirms our fears: physician shortages pose a significant risk to patients in rural Arizona, and the numbers back it up.

Arizona death rate: a dramatic increase

In recent years, Arizona has witnessed a alarming increase in mortality rates. ADHS reports that the state of Arizona has experienced “a significant increase in deaths from all causes between 2019 and 2020, with a jump of 25.8%”.

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After adjusting for age, the mortality rate increased from 676.6 per 100,000 has 842.2 per 100,000 at the end of the study in 2020.

Of course, given the dates of the study, there is no doubt that the pandemic played a role in this increase. But even after Accounting for age differences between Arizona and other states, Arizona had the 23rd highest death rate in the United States in 2021.

This alarming statistic has caught the attention of Arizona public health officials. There is a critical need for change to stop the increase in rural deaths.

According to USDA Researchin rural Arizona, people 25 to 54 years old die of natural causes, such as chronic diseases and cancer, at much higher rates than people of the same age who live in urban areas. The study did not take into account other causes of death, such as suicide or drug overdose.

READ: Hazard! Reasons why you should never travel from Arizona to Mexico

Health Care: Underserved Rural Arizona

This study explores ways to improve access to health care in rural Arizona counties. To reverse this frightening trend, health officials are promoting prevention and working on ways to provide patients with better chronic disease management options to better improve rural health care.

(Arizona Department of Health Services | PublicNewsService.org | USDA)