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Minnesota Health Department Receives Funding for Environmental Health Tracking Web Site
The Minnesota Department of Health has received a federal grant that will annually provide $875,000 for five years to design a Web site to track public health and environmental health data, the Minnesota Daily reports. Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the funding will allow the state to join a nationwide tracking network that currently includes 21 states. Specifically, the department of health will use the funding to develop an Environmental Public Health Tracking Network that will collect data on environmental health hazards and public health problems throughout the state, including incidences of respiratory disease, high blood lead level, cancer, low birth weight, and water and air hazards. The data, which will be scrubbed of patient identifiers, will be monitored to determine trends and guide prevention efforts. Although details of the Web site have yet to be finalized, the data is expected to be available at many different levels, including metro or non-metro, or by county, ZIP code or city (Minnesota Public Radio, 9/24/09; Van Berkel, Minnesota Daily, 9/24/09).