The Health Trends Across Communities (HTAC) project will offer a unique and valuable source of information on a range of chronic, behavioral, and mental health conditions in Minnesota. Health professionals, service organizations, policy makers, community leaders, and many others can use HTAC reports and dashboards to help develop and evaluate policies and programs, assess health needs, and identify assets at state, regional, and local community levels.
The Center for Community Health's Assessment Alignment Committee (AAC) is a primary project partner and identified an initial set of 28 priority health indicators. Prevalence estimates and trends can be reviewed by numerous key demographic characteristics at the census tract level. The health systems participating in the MNEHRC provide health care to most of the people living in Minnesota, so the summary, de-identified EHR information available through the HTAC project fills a gap in the type of resources currently available.
The MNEHRC team has engaged the AAC and other partners around the state in the development of the HTAC dashboard, guidelines and resources for users, and communication strategies.
The HTAC project serves as a foundation for building relationships between the MNEHRC, public health professionals, and community organizations and individuals working to improve and sustain the health of Minnesotans.