A new report released Wednesday shows premature death rates are dropping across the country. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), along with the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute released the data. It looks at 30 factors that influence how long and well people live, including poverty, education, transportation, housing, violent crime, jobs and access to medical care among others. Across the nation the group found positive and negative results. Premature death rates are dropping in 60% of the nation's counties. However, it also found 1 in 4 children live in poverty, a rate twice as high in the unhealthiest counties. In Indiana, Marshall County ranks 9th out of 92 counties, while Elkhart ranks 20th, followed by Kosciusko at 28th.
