Page 4A OPINION East Oregonian Friday, April 3, 2015 Founded October 16, 1875 KATHRYN B. BROWN Publisher JENNINE PERKINSON Advertising Director DANIEL WATTENBURGER Managing Editor TIM TRAINOR Opinion Page Editor OUR VIEW 7LSRIWKHKDW NLFNLQWKHSDQWV $NLFNLQWKHSDQWVWR8PDWLOOD&RXQW\UHVLGHQWVZKRDUHRQFHDJDLQ DPRQJWKHOHDVWKHDOWK\LQWKHVWDWH It feels like we unload this kick every year, but the county continues to struggle in the bottom rungs of the state when it comes to health rankings. 7KLV\HDUZH¿QLVKHGWK0RUHWKDQDWKLUGRIXVDUHREHVHDQGPRUHWKDQ a quarter don’t exercise. Teen birth rates are almost double the state average and the percentage of uninsured residents is high, too. 0RUURZ&RXQW\GLGPXFKEHWWHU¿QLVKLQJDVWKHWHQWKKHDOWKLHVW%XWLW has solvable problems that it still hasn’t overcome, including a smoking rate RISHUFHQWPXFKKLJKHUWKDQWKHSHUFHQWVWDWHUDWH Why do we in northeast Oregon struggle in these metrics? We like to think of rural areas as more active and in shape — we’re out building and rebuilding fence until the sun JRHVGRZQKXQWLQJDQG¿VKLQJRQWKH weekends and eating tomatoes from the garden all summer long. Unfortunately, for many of us that is an outdated stereotype. Some of it has to do with a lack of health care advisors and specialists, and a lack of healthy food options when the watermelons and local greens aren’t ripe. Also, it is no surprise that many of Oregon’s most unhealthy counties have large American Indian populations — Klamath took the top spot. Large percentages of tribal populations across the West have health issues that have not been seriously tackled. Now is the time to do so. %XWRYHUDOOLWZLOOWDNHDFXOWXUDOFKDQJHWKDWDOORIXVQHHGWREXFNOH down on. So let’s make it a summer plan to walk more and drive less, throw out those cigarettes for good, wear our seatbelts and cut down on red meat. Then we’ll live up to our handsome cowboy and cowgirl mystique. If a good percentage of the county takes up our challenge and Umatilla &RXQW\VKRUHVXSVRPHRIRXUXQKHDOWK\KDELWVZH¶UHKDSS\WRWXUQDURXQG and let you return the kick next year. In fact, start training now (High knees! High knees!) and we look forward to being on the receiving end of a powerful wallop come next spring. $WLSRIWKHKDWWRRXUSDOVRQWKH3HQGOHWRQ0RXQWHG%DQGZKR ZHUHQDPHGJUDQGPDUVKDOVRIWKH:HVWZDUG+R3DUDGH