LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The healthiest place to live in Pennsylvania is right here in our area.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation out of New Jersey named Union County the healthiest county in the state.
Mimi Hahn of Lewisburg spent part of her day working out at the Miller Center in Union County. It's part of her weekly routine.
"I come twice. My husband is a gym rat, so he is here every day," Hahn said.
"Me and my cousin live a few blocks away and we come here every day. It's never super busy but there's always people here. It's a super atmosphere," Arristia Leymarie said.
Recently Union County was named the healthiest county in Pennsylvania for the fifth time since 2011. The rankings were done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a charitable organization in New Jersey focused on health. The foundation has done national health rankings for 10 years.
"This is a great place to live, it's a great place to work, and turns out it's the healthiest county in Pennsylvania," Kendra Aucker said.
Aucker is president and CEO of Evangelical Community Hospital near Lewisburg. Criteria for the rankings include health behaviors, physical environment, social and environmental factors, and access to clinical care.
"When I looked at the metrics, it's about access to care. That's what we do. We make sure we're solid and strong so patients can access good care," Aucker said.
In addition to the hospital and the Miller Center, Union County is home to two YMCA facilities and the Buffalo Valley Recreation Authority.
"There's a lot of places in Union County. It's really convenient that the rail trail is right here. I can walk my dog after I work out," Leymarie said.
"We were tickled by that because we're part of it," Hahn added.