Featured Resource: HealthPathNC

Public health–related documents are well represented within the State Library of North Carolina's digital collections. To provide a convenient access point to this information, and in preparation for future digitization efforts, they are introducing a new portal: HealthPathNC. Through this portal, you can access materials available in popular current collections like those on eugenics in North Carolina and the influenza epidemic of 1918– 1919. You can also more easily find groups of topically related public health documents. HealthPathNC includes multiple methods for accessing the public health collection, including keyword searching, browsing, and selecting from a variety of popular health topics. There is also a list of general resources including books, original manuscripts, digital collections, and online exhibits that will provide you with more in–depth information about some of the topics you’ll see in HealthPathNC.

Check out the new site at http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/digital/healthpath/index.html

CDC Releases County-Level Atlas of Heart Disease Hospitalizations

The CDC recently released the 2010 Atlas of Heart Disease Hospitalizations Among Medicare Beneficiaries, its first atlas showing hospitalization rates for heart disease at the county level. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. These new maps chart wide disparities based on race/ethnicity and geographic location.

2010 Atlas of Heart Disease Hospitalizations Among Medicare Beneficiaries:
http://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/library/heart_atlas/index.htm

Interactive Heart Disease & Stroke Maps:
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/giscvh2/

Data Resources for H1N1 Surveillance

Need information about new H1N1 cases? Surveillance data is being posted online as the flu season develops.

The CDC collects and publishes national and regional data online on a weekly basis at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

NC collects county and state data online on a weekly basis at:
http://www.flu.nc.gov/epi/gcdc/flu2009.html

The Data You Need May Be Closer Than You Think

The Triangle Census Research Data Center (TCRDC) can provide access to restricted National Center for Health Statistics and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) data to members of the Duke community. Use of restricted data must still undergo the NCHS or AHRQ approval process; however, the data can now be accessed in a secure computing environment on Duke's campus (which is a lot closer and easier than traveling to Bethesda!) Data that may be available includes:

1. Variables removed from public-use data files: Most surveys collected by NCHS and AHRQ contain sensitive information which is suppressed or masked to protect the confidentiality of respondents. Such information, which can include geographic and demographic detail, study design information, expenditure information, detailed business information, and information on childhood disease and behavior, is only available to users through NCHS, AHRQ, and Census Research Data Centers (RDCs).
2. Linked files or matching data: Many widely used surveys, such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), have been linked to national mortality records, Medicare and Medicaid records, and Social Security Administration Records. Many of these linked files are only available through RDCs.
3. Restricted data files: Some files, such as the Insurer Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey or the National Employer Health Insurance Survey, have no public use versions. All forms of these files are only available for access through RDCs.

For further information about the approval process and the data available, visit the NCHS RDC Website, the AHRQ Website, or the TCRDC Website. A brief summary of potentially available restricted data can be found online at the New York Census Research Data Center. More detailed information on what information is restricted can be found on websites for the individual surveys.