On Monday, the Roanoke City Council will receive a presentation from Cynthia Morrow, district health director for the Roanoke City Health Department.
The data Morrow presents suggests that the average Roanoker is not as healthy as the average Virginian.
Roanoke fares worse in population health and well-being than the average county in Virginia and worse than the average county nationwide, the presentation said.
The leading causes of death for people under 75 in Roanoke are cancer, heart disease, accidents, diabetes and COVID-19.
A visual in the presentation shows that the city of Roanoke’s cancer incidence rate is between 444.00 and 481.46 per 100,000 people.
The city also has nearly twice the average number of asthma hospitalizations per 100,000 people and more than double the number of COPD hospitalizations per 100,000 people. Roanoke also has higher hospitalization rates for chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease than the average county in Virginia.
According to the presentation, Virginia’s economic burden from the opioid crisis in 2021 was $5.02 billion. That year, Roanoke spent $1,510 per person on this issue, which puts Roanoke in the highest spending category on this issue.
Interpersonal violence occurs at a higher rate in Roanoke than in surrounding areas, with 22.6 firearm deaths per 100,000 people in Roanoke.
In Roanoke, gonorrhea and chlamydia infection rates are both higher than the Virginia and national averages.
On the bright side, resources are available.
The presentation concludes with a detailed discussion of the services available from the City of Roanoke Health Department and provides an overview of what services would have been available in 2024.
In 2024, the department provided more than 1,500 family planning visits, more than 3,600 immunizations, and more than 900 sexually transmitted disease infections. Other services provided include disease investigation, case management, food permits, car seats, cribs, test strips, Narcan, and more.
More than 5,000 female infant and child clients are served each month, according to the presentation.
This report begins on page 36 of the agenda packet below.
Monday night hearing
On Monday night, the council will hold a public hearing and vote on a rezoning request that would allow a townhome community on 28 acres of undeveloped land near the Brandon Pointe Apartments. Details can be found in last week’s Agenda article when the rezoning went before the Planning Commission.
To view the full agenda for Monday’s 2pm and 7pm sessions, please click here. City Council meetings are held in the City Council Chambers of the Noel C. Taylor City Hall, 215 Church Avenue, Roanoke. It will be live streamed on YouTube for those unable to attend the meeting in person.
