Gap between preventable deaths in rural and urban America has widened 

New CDC data finds that the gap between rural and urban Americans who die from preventable causes has widened across many conditions between 2010-2017. Here’s more: 

• Cancer: Nearly 29% of rural deaths from cancer were preventable in 2010, but that dropped to about 22% in 2017. During the same period, these deaths in urban areas dropped from around 18% to roughly 3%. 
• Heart disease: Some 45% of rural deaths from heart disease were preventable in 2010, compared to 34% in cities. In 2017, that figure was unchanged for rural U.S., but dropped to around 28% for urban areas. 
• Unintentional injuries: The gap between rural and urban areas narrowed in this category. Some 61% of rural deaths in 2010 increased to 64% in 2017, but 25% of such deaths in cities in 2010 nearly doubled to 48% seven years later.