Healthcare systems around the world has faced a huge infrastructure test during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S. alone, the number of cases has topped 1.6 million, with nearly 100,000 deaths, according to the CDC as of May 26, 2020.
The virus is the biggest health crisis to hit the nation in more than 100 years, CDC leaders have stated, and some states have been able to weather the storm better than others. Part of that may be due to their health infrastructures that were already in place before the virus spread, allowing states to respond better and faster.
WalletHub compared the 50 states on 14 unique metrics to determine which had the best health infrastructures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The ranking may help other states down the line when it comes to preparing for future health crises and pandemics.
Here are the top 10 states with the best health infrastructure during the COVID-19 outbreak:
1. North Dakota
2. West Virginia
3. Mississippi
4. Tennessee
5. Oklahoma
6. Kentucky
7. Alaska
8. Kansas
9. Arkansas
10. Nebraska
North Dakota tied with three other states (Wyoming, Vermont and Alaska) for the highest total public health emergency preparedness funding per capita, helping boost the state to the top spot overall. States with bigger populations, including New York, California and Illinois, ranked among the bottom three for emergency preparedness funding.
Alaska, New Mexico, Hawaii and Idaho tied as the four states with the highest public health spending per capita, while Nevada, Ohio, Indiana, Arizona were among the bottom.
Here are the 10 states ranking at the bottom for best health infrastructure:
41. Indiana
42. New Jersey
43. Rhode Island
44. New Hampshire
45. Arizona
46. Michigan
47. New York
48. Virginia
49. Maryland
50. Connecticut
WalletHub also took healthcare quality into consideration for its ranking, finding Vermont had the highest public hospital system quality, followed by South Dakota, Delaware, Minnesota and Iowa. New Jersey, Maryland and Nevada ranked as the bottom three with the lowest public hospital system quality.
See the full list here.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."