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Diabetes Interactive Atlas Launched
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Should physicians and researchers, policy makers or the public want to know about diabetes in Minnesota, or available health care options, it's now just a click away. The Minnesota Health Atlas is an online resource where county-by-county data, focused to help the state's diabetic population. It is a unique resource, not available elsewhere in the country.
The MN Health Atlas is funded by the Decade of Discovery in Diabetes, a major initiative of the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. The goal of the Decade of Discovery is to prevent, optimally treat, and ultimately cure type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The partnership includes Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota, and the State of Minnesota.
"As programs and projects for preventing diabetes roll out across the state, the Minnesota Health Atlas will be increasingly valuable and help inform strategies for diabetes care over large populations," says David Etzwiler, executive director of the Decade of Discovery.
"This will be an ongoing, sustainable resource," emphasizes Nilay Shah, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic researcher and program co-director for the Decade of Discovery. "We will be adding information and improving usability as we go forward."
The Minnesota Health Atlas collects reported information related to diabetes and population health and makes it available in maps, charts, tables, and data downloads at the county level. Multiple years of data allow for trend analysis and provide a useful tool for monitoring the changing status of diabetes health — even at a local level.
Maps show diabetes prevalence as well as factors that impact population health, including obesity, income and employment levels, age, drug prescriptions, personal activity, and cost of care, to name just a few. Some data come from such agencies as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Minnesota Department of Health. Other unique data sources were developed for the MN Health Atlas.
Numerous stakeholders from across Minnesota have given input on the design of the MN Health Atlas and provided data for it. These collaborations will continue to inform future development of the Atlas and make it a valuable resource in the health of Minnesotans.
The most common searches in the diabetes Atlas are: 30-day hospital readmission rates (Medicare population); total health care reimbursements (Medicare population); average number of poor mental health days for persons with diabetes; and percent of adults who are physically inactive.
The Atlas is one of many projects underway as part of the Decade of Discovery, ranging from statistical resources to care innovation to laboratory research on diabetes. For more information visit: Decade of Discovery.
Media Contact: Robert Nellis, 507-284-5005 (days), newsbureau@mayo.edu
