Maine loses health ranking big time

Maine Public Broadcasting - Maine’s national health ranking is slipping, according to a new report. America’s Health Rankings now places Maine at No. 23, falling from an all-time best of 8 back in 2010. The report , which is based on Centers for Disease Control data, cites a number of factors, from drug deaths to diabetes and infant mortality. Maine got kudos in the report for its low violent crime rate and reductions in air pollution. But then there’s the bad news: diabetes has increased 12 percent in the past two years, drug deaths increased by more than 50 percent in the past three years and infant mortality has seen a slight improvement, but overall in the past five years, it has increased 20 percent.