The infant mortality rate in Jefferson County is nearly twice the national average, and minority babies face the highest risk of death before age one, said the county health officer during his annual assessment of community health.

Dr. Mark Wilson, CEO of the Jefferson County Department of Health, said infants in the community are the "so-called canary in the coalmine," vulnerable patients who also highlight dangerous health disparities.

The overall infant mortality rate for 2011 to 2013 in Jefferson County was 11.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. The national average is 6.1 deaths. The infant mortality rate for non-whites in Jefferson County is 16.2 deaths per 1,000 live births.

"Unfortunately, it also serves as a stark indicator of disparity in health related to race," Wilson said.

Wilson addressed infant mortality during the annual "State of Jefferson County's Health" speech at the Department of Health building on 6th Avenue South.

The underlying factors that affect infant health include low birth weight, access to prenatal care and pre-term births, Wilson said. Teen mothers are more likely to go into pre-term labor, and Wilson said the county has made progress in preventing teen pregnancy.

Infants aren't the only Jefferson County citizens who suffer from health problems. The community also has high rates of obesity, sexually transmitted diseases and diabetes. These problems persist despite the presence of world-class health care.

"While the United States leads the world in medical technology, advanced medical interventions and pharmaceutical development, we are now lagging behind most of the rest of the developed world for overall health outcomes," Wilson said.

Citizens of the United States spend nearly twice as much on healthcare as people in other developed countries, yet suffer higher infant mortality and lower life expectancy, Wilson said.

"In a land that is supposed to be about equal opportunity, we have major disparities in health between people of different races and socioeconomic status," Wilson said.

Wilson devoted most of the speech to highlighting advances in public health. Improvements in sanitation, vaccination and environmental health have added decades to the average lifespan, he said. The community is still struggling with emerging health threats, including the increase in opiate overdose deaths.

"Right now, we are having a particularly bad time with overdose deaths from heroin and prescription painkillers or opioids," Wilson said.

The number of deaths from heroin overdoses increased from 12 in 2010 to 137 in 2014.

"Heroin and prescription drug overdoses now exceed the rate of all other injury deaths and the rate of homicides," Wilson said.