Checkup: Pennsylvania 26th in State Rankings for Health

• First, the good news: We’re up one slot from last year in a ranking of American states according to health. The bad news: At #26, Pennsylvania’s still in the bottom half of the pile. The report from the United Health Foundation found that PA’s diabetes rate increased from 9 percent to 10.3 percent of the population. We’ve also seen an increase in obesity and youth poverty rates, and apparently, we have high levels of air pollution. Going in our favor is a relatively low percent (11) of uninsured residents (we came in 8th overall based on that measure alone); ready availability of primary care physicians; and a high rate of high school graduation (82.7 percent). What’s the healthiest state in America, you ask? That’d be Vermont, which has a low rate of infectious disease and a low crime rate, among other strengths. And coming in at least healthy is Mississippi, with an obesity rate of 34.5 percent and a scary-high poverty rate to boot. Read the full report, and get stats for every state, over here.

• NPR looked at the state health rankings, too, only they analyzed the data from a countrywide standpoint. They found that “increases in obesity and diabetes threaten to overwhelm the progress we’ve made on smoking, violent crime and deaths from heart disease and stroke over the past couple of decades.” Sigh. Get the full scoop here.

• Let’s shift gears, shall we? This is good news—promise. The Huffington Post picked up a story out of Arizona of a 2-year-old boy who is reportedly “doing fine” after his heart stopped beating for 30 minutes. That means Caleb Teodorescu technically died—and then came back to life. Full story here.