Nassau ranked 2nd healthiest county in NY; Suffolk comes in at 16

Nassau has been ranked the second healthiest county in New York state.

Suffolk ranked 16th out of New York's 62 counties.

Rockland County came in first.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study used health factors to formulate the ranking, including smoking, obesity, exercise, pollution, child poverty, wealth and opportunities for education.

According to the study, reasons for Suffolk's lower ranking include the greater distance residents must travel for health care and the higher amount of premature death rates. Steve Chassman, of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, says he believes those premature death rates are mostly due to drug overdoses.

"We saw the highest incidence of overdose for opioid-related fatalities," he says.

Long Island health officials say the study already highlights what they already know: Where you live determines how well you live and how long. Health advocates say the results show that more must be done to give families better access to medical care and quality education.