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We all partner. It’s a survival technique, and you learn it well...our goal is 

really meeting the needs of the families. 

—Kathy Mason, Director, Wirt County Family 

 Resource Network

When residents of Wirt County, West Virginia, say they know everyone living nearby, they are not 

exaggerating. It takes 30 minutes to drive across the county, and there are no stoplights anywhere. At 235 

square miles, Wirt is the eighth-smallest county in the state and roughly the same size as the city of 

Chicago—albeit much more sparsely populated. 

What Wirt County lacks in size and resources, it makes up for with a way of life centered on community 

giving and collaboration. Most health-related programs or services are the result of either local crosssector collaboration or partnership with organizations from other counties. 

County residents paint a picture of a place that has not strayed far from its roots. They rally around each 

other much like early settlers must have in the late 1790s, when William Beauchamp established the 

county’s first farm (which eventually became the town of Elizabeth, still the only municipality in the 

county today). Residents place a high value on pulling together to help neighbors in need and on doing 

what they can to improve their health and well-being.

Wirt County is among the ten percent of Appalachian counties—and one of the eight counties in West 

Virginia—identified as a Bright Spot. It performed better than expected on 14 out of 19 health outcome 

measures. Most notably, the county performed better than expected on the following measures:

 Poisoning mortality: 44 percent better than expected

 Injury mortality: 34 percent better than expected

Wirt County, WV

Wirt County is the least-populous county in West Virginia but has a relatively stable population of approximately 5,800. Much of the 

county is farmland.
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 Opioid prescriptions as a percentage of Medicare Part D claims: 26 percent better than 

expected

 Low-birth-weight births (<2,500 g): 23 percent better than expected

 Percentage of Medicare beneficiaries with depression: 17 percent better than expected

These better-than-expected results are likely influenced by local conditions and initiatives created to 

improve overall health and well-being. For instance, field research indicates residents’ shared sense of 

duty to take care of each other may play a role in the county’s health. Wirt County residents have also

focused on expanding access to healthy foods, addressing mental and behavioral health needs, promoting 

healthy child development, making comprehensive health care available to more residents, and providing 

supportive services to those who need them most. 

Wirt County’s classification as a Bright Spot means that, on average, the county performed better than 

expected on a number of health outcome measures, given its resources—that is, the socioeconomics, 

demographics, behaviors, health care facilities, and other factors that influence health outcomes. It does 

not mean that all Wirt County residents enjoy excellent health. In fact, Wirt County lags behind the rest of 

the nation on many health outcome indicators. Like other communities with limited resources, Bright 

Spot counties face many challenges to attaining good health outcomes. But Wirt’s performance indicates

that certain county conditions or programs may be helping generate better-than-expected outcomes—and 

that other resource-challenged Appalachian counties may benefit from adopting similar initiatives.

1

 1 See Table 42 in the data appendix at the end of this case study for a full list of actual health outcomes for Wirt 

County compared with predicted outcomes. For details on the outcome measures, see the data files accompanying 

the report Identifying Bright Spots in Appalachian Health: Statistical Analysis.
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COUNTY OVERVIEW

Figure 14: Map - Bright Spot Community Wirt County, West Virginia

Wirt County represents a metropolitan county in North Central Appalachia. It is one of 

a cluster of Bright Spot counties in north-central West Virginia and one of the eight 

Bright Spot counties in the state as a whole. 

Home to a portion of the Hughes River Wildlife Management Area, part of Wirt County is covered in 

mature oak-hickory hardwood forests. The majority of the county is farmland, especially along the Little 

Kanawha and Hughes Rivers. It is part of the Parkersburg-Vienna metro area, with Elizabeth serving as

the main hub of commercial and government activity. Wirt County has three commissioners who serve in 

part-time positions for 6-year terms.

Wirt is the least-populous county in West Virginia, maintaining a relatively stable population of 

approximately 5,800 residents. It is racially homogeneous—98 percent of the population is white.

Classified by ARC as economically at-risk in fiscal year 2017, the county had an unemployment rate of

9.7 percent in 2014, compared with the national unemployment rate of 6.2 percent. The estimated median 

household income was $38,600, compared with $56,135 nationally, and 20.3 percent of Wirt County 
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residents lived in poverty in 2014, compared with 15.6 percent nationally. The major employment sectors 

in the county are education, health care, and social services.2

In Wirt County, concerns about opioid and other drug use run high, as they do throughout much of the 

state. West Virginia’s drug overdose mortality rate is the highest in the nation and more than double the 

national rate. Lack of public transportation is also a challenge, and often a barrier to accessing health care 

and other services.

A DEEPER LOOK AT WIRT COUNTY: COMMUNITY STRENGTHS

In Wirt County, as in other Bright Spot communities explored in this report, stakeholders have 

collaborated to offer a variety of services to address the physical, social, and economic health of residents. 

These services include sponsoring health fairs and conducting oral health screenings; providing needed 

transportation to health or social services, especially for the elderly; and offering health-related education 

to students. 

Wirt County is creating its own unique initiatives to improve health. Field work helped identify local 

practices in the county that appear to be contributing to overall health, document effective practices that 

could be replicated in other counties, and identify promising practices and strategies that should be 

explored further.3 Specifically, the research identified these characteristics and strategies in Wirt County:

 Connecting residents to social services to improve their health: Community leaders are 

leveraging limited resources to provide support for residents in a number of ways, including 

through health fairs and other family-oriented events. Local groups also use programs and 

services at the local Coplin Clinic and the Wirt County Senior Citizens Center to manage, 

identify, and coordinate follow-up on health-related issues. 

 Initiatives targeted to specific challenges: Recognizing that resources are limited, Wirt County 

pursues regional assistance to address specific challenges related to substance use prevention, 

transportation needs, and combating hunger.

 Support for seniors: The Wirt County Senior Citizens Center serves as a support-services hub,

providing a broad range of assistive services to the elderly. These include daily meal delivery, a 

daily group meal on site, an adult daycare program that provides both on-site and in-home 

assistance, and help with monitoring health issues. 

 Targeted support for youth: It is clear that the county sees its role as vital to the growth and 

development of local youth. Stakeholders view the local school system as one of the county’s 

most valuable assets and willingly open it to student residents of adjacent counties. The Wirt 

County (West Virginia University) Extension Service works closely with the school system to 

extend services beyond the school day.

 Grants and public funds: The county knits together funds from state, federal, foundation, and 

local grants and from donations to maintain essential social support networks. For example, it 

uses grants awarded by the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation for substance abuse and

 2 Table 40 in the Wirt County data appendix at the end of this case study provides a quantitative profile of county 

characteristics.

3 For a full explanation of the methodology, see Appendix B: Research Approach. For a list of key informants 

interviewed for this county, see Table 41 in the data appendix at the end of this case study.
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addiction prevention efforts, while the local schools leverage public funding to tackle the same 

concern. 

Many of Wirt County’s efforts mirror those of other Bright Spot communities in three overarching 

categories: cross-sector collaboration, resource sharing, and an active faith community.

Cross-Sector Collaboration 

Almost any health-focused initiative in Wirt County is a result of two or more groups collaborating to 

meet residents’ needs. Many of the collaborations offer health services, health education, and social 

services to address factors that can impact health. 

The Wirt County Health Department, which is a regional extension of the Mid-Ohio Valley (MOV) 

Health Department, works with local groups to organize family-friendly events that double as resource 

fairs, connecting residents with organizations that offer social support services. This includes an annual 

countywide baby shower at which area hospitals host booths to inform expectant mothers of their 

program offerings, and provide information on topics such as the risks of smoking during pregnancy.

The health department also coordinates biannual county

health fairs that are open to all county residents. They 

are staffed by AmeriCorps members and practitioners 

from Wirt County Family Care, which is referred to by 

locals as the Coplin Clinic (after its founder, Robert 

Coplin). These health fairs provide free bloodwork, 

dental screenings, and vital-signs checks. 

Residents who learn at the fair of a health issue 

affecting them are given a referral to either the Coplin 

Clinic or a provider in a neighboring county. This 

service includes referrals to one of 22 dentists in 

Parkersburg who serve six area counties and provide 

extractions or fill cavities for a minimal fee. As a result 

of each fair, approximately 300 to 400 people receive

dental care that might otherwise be out of financial

reach. 

A number of cross-sector and cross-county networks and coalitions have formed to address a range of 

factors that impact health. The Family Resource Network Alliance, formed almost two decades ago, 

includes representatives from more than 25 local churches, social service agencies, prevention groups, 

and businesses, who meet weekly to identify and address service gaps and needs in local communities in 

order to improve conditions for children and families.

Established in 2016, the Wirt County Prevention Coalition brings together 12 local and regional 

organizations to coordinate health-promotion efforts. And 14 health and social services organizations, 

including local hospitals, the West Virginia Primary Care Association, and other agencies, collaborate as

the MOV Rural Health Alliance. The MOV alliance focuses on improving community health through 

disease prevention, expanded access to health care services, and creation of an electronic health 

information system to ensure seamless care across providers. In Wirt County, the alliance has partnered 

with the Coplin Clinic to improve patient follow-up, and with the Minnie Hamilton Health Care System 

Wirt health officials implemented a “Tobacco Prevention 

Barn” health-messaging campaign to promote smoking 

cessation to residents.

© Jon Rodgers
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to expand access to medical testing. It has also provided services to county residents on a sliding-fee 

schedule to reduce cost barriers to access.

Resource Sharing

Recognizing that resources are limited, Wirt County citizens pursue regional assistance to help provide 

health care and other health supports to residents. Many care agencies are affiliated with regional groups 

outside of the county. 

The majority of health care services are 

regionally oriented to maximize resources, 

efficiency, and access. The Mid-Ohio Valley 

(MOV) Health Department rotates its 

clinicians to Wirt County and the service 

region’s six other counties to meet need. In 

addition, if Wirt residents can’t meet a 

clinician in the county, they can travel to a 

neighboring county to obtain services. 

Pooling resources and being willing to work 

together as a region is a necessity to improve 

the health and well-being of the county.

As part of the MOV Health Department, the 

Wirt County Health Department consistently 

devotes funds and resources to health-related 

initiatives. The department uses state and 

federal preventive-care funds to support

chronic-disease and diabetes selfmanagement. AmeriCorps members assist with follow-up for health department patients and health fair 

attendees who are referred for additional services. These services sometimes qualify for third-party 

reimbursement.

The county’s only primary-care facility, the Coplin Clinic, rotates medical staff through multiple counties 

to maximize efficiency and resources. The clinic is part of Coplin Health Systems, which operates 

facilities in Wirt, Wood, and Jackson Counties in West Virginia and in Meigs County, Ohio.

Community Resources, Inc. (CRI), is another regionally oriented agency. It focuses its services on 

addressing social factors that can impact health, such as housing and income. CRI provides education for 

first-time homebuyers, home weatherization programs, financial guidance for low-income families, and a 

child-care food program. The agency also sponsors FaithLink, a program that connects volunteers with 

people over age 60 who need help because of physical disabilities or chronic illness. Although based in 

Parkersburg (in Wood County), CRI serves Jackson, Roane, Ritchie, Calhoun, Wood, Pleasants, Gilmer, 

Doddridge, Tyler, Wetzel, and Wirt Counties.

Each of the organizations described above subscribes to principles of regionalism. In practice, this takes 

the form of sharing ideas, information, and other resources across multiple counties. It also takes the form 

of coordinating health care services across multiple counties, so that if comprehensive services are not 

available in a particular location, the most important services are accessible somewhere nearby.

A walking trail around the county’s middle school was enhanced with 

fitness stations and playground equipment to give residents exercise 

and outdoor-recreation opportunities.

© Jon Rodgers
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Collaborations like these also take place outside of the health care system. A partnership between the 

health department and the local school system provides resources for several nutrition and physical 

education programs. Through a Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, the health department 

was able to purchase bicycles for the middle school physical education program. 

Wirt County has a walking trail around the middle school that was made possible when the school and 

several community partners pooled resources to build it. Fitness stations and playground equipment were 

installed around it to give residents opportunities to engage in physical exercise and outdoor recreation.

Transportation

Metro areas close to Wirt County offer higher levels of health services than the county itself (such as in

neighboring Parkersburg, which has the Camden-Clark Medical Center), but some residents can’t easily 

get to them. The Wirt County Senior Citizens Center strives to solve this challenge by providing 

transportation at little or no cost to anyone in the county over age 60 to get to medical appointments, 

pharmacies, grocery stores, and other locations. Funding from the Area Agency on Aging and other grants 

make this possible.

Food

Recognizing that nutrition is critical to health, the Wirt Ministerial Alliance—a group of local churches 

from throughout the county that work together on projects serving the community—sponsors a food 

pantry through its Hope Shop in the town of Elizabeth. Established 20 years ago, the Hope Shop provides 

nonperishable food items, produce, and frozen meat to approximately 60 families per month. Shop 

volunteers collect donations from the community and buy food from regional food banks to distribute to 

those in need. The Hope Shop also operates as a thrift store, reselling donated clothes and other items at 

affordable prices. 

For seniors in the community, the Wirt 

County Senior Citizens Center provides a

meal delivery service for those unable to leave 

their homes, and offers a daily lunch at the 

center itself. The group meal setting creates an 

opportunity for the center’s staff and volunteers 

to talk with seniors about health-related 

matters, including the importance of taking 

medications on time and making healthy food 

choices. It also allows the 26-member staff to 

provide near-daily monitoring of health issues 

or concerns.

For youth, the county extension service offers health-related and youth education programming. This 

includes healthy eating classes and a summer “feeding-and-reading” program for schools with a high 

percentage of students from low-income families. The latter program brings in AmeriCorps volunteers to 

work with students and help bolster their reading skills. Students who participate in the program receive

two nourishing meals a day and a book each week.

The Wirt County schools’ version of this program, called Energy Express, reaches out to children in 

lower-income parts of the county. To meet those students’ needs, the school system purchased and 

The Wirt County Senior Citizens Center provides a daily group 

meal as well as a meal delivery service for seniors.

© Jon Rodgers
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renovated a used bus to include a kitchen and a reading room, and equipped it to serve as a wi-fi hotspot. 

Kids can eat, read, and access the Internet on the bus, which moves from place to place around the 

county. 

Active Faith Community

Another element that contributes to the overall health and well-being of the residents in Wirt County is its 

active faith community. Reverend Lee Williams, pastor at Elizabeth United Methodist Church and the 

chair of the Wirt Ministerial Alliance, remembers a time years ago when the Hope Shop needed money to 

pay its bills. The community rallied to raise more than $1,000 in one day, demonstrating the 

organization’s value to residents. The Hope Shop is also a point of community pride as one of the longestrunning local organizations. Today, community donations and grants help with the nonprofit’s finances. 

The Wirt County Missional Group is another faith-based organization that offers resources, focusing on

Spring Valley, an area described by members as one of the poorest in the county. The group offers a food 

pantry twice a week, as well as help with minor home repairs, such as installing new flooring and water

lines. These home repairs help decrease the health risks associated with unsafe or dilapidated living 

conditions. Local health organizations laud this work and try to collaborate with the group whenever 

possible. Donations made to the group also support other outreach efforts, such as providing Sunday 

meals for children after Bible study and hosting an annual “Kids’ Day at the Park” event. The group’s

members see expenses as an investment in their faith and a way to connect with the community.

CREATING A CULTURE OF HEALTH IN WIRT COUNTY

It is evident that community members across Wirt County are working to make health a shared value.

Residents lend a helping hand to others in times of need and are willing to dedicate time, money, and 

other resources to make ends meet and provide support to improve the health of all. Cross-sector 

collaboration, and a recognition of the need to collaborate across counties to make the best use of 

available resources, are critical to community health efforts. Out of necessity, Wirt County has learned to 

use regional resources to support health.

County residents have demonstrated the high value they place on health in several ways. In 1996, the 

community stepped up to keep the Coplin Clinic from closing, and, along with the Coplin Clinic board,

raised money to keep it operating. Today, the Coplin Clinic is thriving as part of Coplin Health Systems, 

which provides primary care, pharmacy, and wellness services in multiple locations. These services are 

available to all Wirt residents, regardless of income.

Wirt County performed better than expected in the area of 

poisoning mortality, a seven-year measure reflecting

unintentional deaths caused primarily by medication and other 

drug overdoses. Wirt’s success may be attributable in part to 

West Virginia’s prescription-drug monitoring program. The 

county’s single local pharmacy, which makes special efforts to 

ensure appropriate use and disposal of drugs, may have played a 

critical role as well; and Wirt also provides a secure, monitored, 

in-ground bunker for the disposal of outdated and surplus drugs.

The better-than-expected poisoning mortality rates may also be 

due in part to Wirt’s proximity to high-quality hospital services at 

the Camden-Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg.

n Rodgers© 2017

Efforts to support appropriate use 

and disposal of prescription drugs 

include a drug take-back program.

© Jon Rodgers
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Wirt County also scores better than expected on injury mortality, a measure that incorporates poisoning 

mortality as well as other unintentional injuries. It is possible that this better-than-expected outcome may 

be related to some degree to the decline of the lumber industry in Wirt County—a profession known to 

pose environmental hazards. While lumber was once a major industry in the county, only a few of the 

larger lumber operators are now in business. These larger operators tend to use newer and safer treeharvesting technology. Research suggests that “feller-bunchers”—tree-cutting machines that have 

replaced handheld chainsaws—have lowered injury rates in the industry by 50 to 75 percent (Ray 2016). 

Overall, Wirt County is making strides toward creating a healthier community for residents of all ages.
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REFERENCES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 2011. “Chapter 9: Access to Health Care, 2011 National 

Healthcare Quality Report.” Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqr11/chap9.html

Allott, Daniel and Jordan Allott. 2017. “The Race to 2020: The people and places that will define a 

presidency.” Washington Examiner. Accessed May 15, 2018: 

http://2020.washingtonexaminer.com/

Appalachian Regional Commission. 2017. The Appalachian Region. September 1. 

https://www.arc.gov/appalachian_region/TheAppalachianRegion.asp

County Health Rankings. 2018. “West Virginia: Wirt County.” Accessed May 15, 2018. 

http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/west-virginia/2014/rankings/wirt/county/outcomes/

overall/snapshot

Ellison, Ayla. 2016. Hospital CFO Report: 6 common characteristics of hospitals vulnerable to closure.

February 09. Accessed July 27, 2017. 

http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/6-common-characteristics-of-hospitals-vulnerable-toclosure.html

Holmes, G. Mark, Nancy M. Lane, Thomas A. Arcury, Michael L. Schawlbe, Randy Randolph, John 

Frank, Sharita Thomas, et. al. 2018. Identifying Bright Spots in Appalachian Health: Statistical Analysis. 

Washington, D.C.: Appalachian Regional Commission.

Loma Linda University School of Public Health. 2017. Findings for AHS-2. September 1. 

https://publichealth.llu.edu/adventist-health-studies/findings/findings-ahs-2

Marshall, Julie L., Logan Thomas, Nancy M. Lane, G. Mark Holmes, Thomas A. Arcury, Randy 

Randolph, Pam Silberman, et al. 2017. Health Disparities in Appalachia. Washington, D.C.: Appalachian 

Regional Commission.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. US DHHS. 2017. Healthy People / 2020 Topics & 

Objectives/ Access to Health Services. Accessed July 27, 2017. 

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/Access-to-Health-Services

Ray, Logan. 2016. “An Assessment of Workplace Injury in Kentucky’s Logging Industry.” MPH Thesis, 

University of Kentucky. 

Wirt County Health Services Association. 2015. About Coplin Health Systems.

http://www.coplinhealthsystems.com/about-us.html

WorkForce West Virginia. 2017. County Unemployment Rates.

http://lmi.workforcewv.org/DataRelease/CountyRelease.html
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APPENDIX: WIRT COUNTY DATA

Table 40: Wirt County Characteristics

Characteristic Wirt County United States

Population, 2010–2014 5,810 314,107,084

Percent population change, 2010–2015 2.90% 4.10%

Median age, 2015 44.8 37.8

Percent of persons over age 65, 2015 18.50% 14.90%

Median household income, 2014 $38,600 $56,135 

Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2015 

dollars), 2011–2015 $22,125 $28,930 

Unemployment rate, 2014 9.7% 6.2%

Percent persons in poverty, 2014 20.3% 15.6%

Percent white alone, 2015 97.90% 77.10%

Percent black alone, 2015 0.30% 13.30%

Percent adults with at least some college, 2010–

2014 47.61% 63.27%

Distance to nearest large population center from 

county center Parkersburg – 21.6 miles N/A

ARC designations, fiscal year 2017 At-Risk

North Central Appalachia N/A

Source: These data are compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 

2014, and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey Selected Social Characteristics, General Economic 

Characteristics, Demographic and Housing Characteristics, and Educational Attainment Tables for years 2010–2014 

and 2011–2015.
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Table 41: Wirt County Key Informants

Name Location Title Organization Interview 

Date

Lorraine Roberts Elizabeth Director Wirt County Senior Citizens 

Center 4/10/2017

Kathy Mason Elizabeth Director Wirt County Family Resource 

Network 4/10/2014

Anna Reno Elizabeth Health Information

Specialist

WV Breast and Cervical Cancer 

Screening Program 4/10/2017

Cathy Watkins Elizabeth Library Assistant Dora B Woodyard Memorial

Library 4/10/2017

Amy Snodgrass Elizabeth Co-Director Child Care Food Program –

Community Resources, Inc 4/10/2017

Diane Ludwig Elizabeth Director Little Kanawha Area Development

Corporation 4/11/2017

Ruth Ann Full Elizabeth Physician Assistant Wirt County Family Care / Coplin 

Clinic 4/11/2017

Carrie Brainard Elizabeth Public Information

Specialist

Mid-Ohio Valley Health 

Department 4/11/2017

Penny McVay Elizabeth Mayor Town of Elizabeth 4/12/2017
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Table 42: Wirt County Health Outcomes - Actual vs. Predicted

Outcome Measure Actual Predicted

Percentage 

Difference

(negative = 

better)

Poisoning mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–2014 16.36 29.14 -43.9%

Injury mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–2014 46.91 70.66 -33.6%

Opioid prescriptions as a percent of Part D claims, 

2013 4.35 5.91 -26.4%

Low birth weight births (<2,500g) per 1,000 births, 

2007–2013 6.33 8.20 -22.8%

Percentage of Medicare beneficiaries w/ depression, 

2012 14.6% 17.5% -16.6%

Percentage of excessive drinkers, 2014 11.2% 13.2% -15.2%

COPD mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–2014 58.78 68.19 -13.8%

Suicide mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–2014 14.02 16.12 -13.0%

Heart disease hospitalizations per 1,000 Medicare 

beneficiaries, 2012 58.60 67.22 -12.8%

Average Medicare condition score, 2013 0.90 1.00 -9.7%

Years of potential life lost, 2011–2013 8,523 9,364 -9.0%

Infant mortality per 1,000 births, 2008–2014 6.99 7.25 -3.5%

Heart disease mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–

2014 233.12 235.42 -1.0%

Stroke mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–2014 45.71 45.93 -0.5%

Physically unhealthy days per month per person, 2014 4.70 4.58 2.6%

Percentage of obese adults (>30 BMI), 2012 38.1% 36.6% 4.1%

Mentally unhealthy days per month per person, 2014 4.60 4.40 4.5%

Cancer mortality per 100,000 people, 2008–2014 225.20 208.98 7.8%

Percentage of adults with diabetes, 2012 15.0% 13.7% 9.2%

Notes:

Percentage Difference = 100 * [ (Actual / Predicted) – 1]

Green = County value was better than predicted

For details on the outcome measures, see the data files accompanying the report Identifying Bright Spots in 

Appalachian Health: Statistical Analysis.
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Table 43: Wirt County Health Drivers vs. National Median

Driver Measure Lower is 

Better?

National 

Median

Wirt 

County

Air pollution (average daily particulate matter 2.5), 

2011 Yes 11.87 13.26 

Average travel time to work in minutes, 2010–2014 Yes 22.82 30.48 

Chlamydia incidence rate per 100,000, 2013 Yes 287.16 102.62 

Dentists per 100,000 population, 2014 No 37.45 17.09 

Economic index, fiscal year 2017 Yes 108.79 167.43 

Full-service restaurants per 1,000, 2012 No 0.68 0.51 

Grocery stores per 1,000 residents, 2012 No 0.20 0.34 

Median household income, 2014 No $45,226.00 $38,600.00 

Mental health providers per 100,000 population, 2015 No 80.00 17.09 

Percentage of adults currently smoking, 2014 Yes 17.8% 22.7%

Percentage of adults not physically active, 2012 Yes 27.7% 33.7%

Percentage of adults with at least some college, 

2010–2014 No 56.3% 47.6%

Income inequality ratio,4 2010–2014 Yes 4.4% 3.8%

Percentage of diabetics with A1C testing, 2012 No 85.4% 82.8%

Percentage of doctors who e-prescribe, 2014 No 65.0% 100.0%

Percentage of eligibles enrolled in SNAP, 2014 No 78.0% 83.0%

Percentage of households with income below poverty, 

2014 Yes 15.8% 20.3%

Percentage of Medicare women with recent 

mammogram, 2013 No 61.0% 55.0%

Percentage of population with access to places for 

physical activity, 2011 and 2014 No 61.9% 33.7%

Percentage of total population in social assistant jobs, 

2013 N/A 0.01% --

Percentage receiving disability OASDI and/or SSI, 

2014 Yes 5.4% 12.5%

Percentage spending >30% of income on housing, 

2010–2014 Yes 29.0% 18.2%

Percentage w/ no car, low access, 2010–2014 Yes 19.7% 1.2%

Primary care physicians per 100,000 population, 2013 No 48.54 33.90 

 4 Income inequality is the ratio of household income at the 80th percentile to that at the 20th percentile. A higher 

ratio reflects greater division between the top and the bottom of the income spectrum.
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Driver Measure Lower is 

Better?

National 

Median

Wirt 

County

Social associations per 10,000 population, 2013 No 12.68 10.17 

Specialist physicians per 100,000 population, 2013 No 25.93 N/A

Students per teacher, 2013–2014 Yes 14.13 13.45 

Teenage births per 1,000, 2007–2013 Yes 39.96 42.15 

Uninsured rate for people under 65, 2013 Yes 17.24 19.02 

Notes:

Green = County value was better than national median

For details on the driver measures, see the data files accompanying the report Identifying Bright Spots in 

Appalachian Health: Statistical Analysis.
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