National Minority Quality Forum Launches the Hepatitis C Index

[Guest guest]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-minority-quality-forum-launches\

-the-hepatitis-c-index-126326148.html

National Minority Quality Forum Launches the Hepatitis C Index

New tool to help identify areas for increased education and screening for

hepatitis C

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of World

Hepatitis Day, the National Minority Quality Forum today launched the Hepatitis

C Index, a novel resource for mapping hepatitis C (http://www.maphepc.com).

For the first time, health-care practitioners, policy makers, advocacy groups,

and researchers will be able to quantify and map hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence

and total counts at the zip-code level for the United States as well as for

individual states, counties, metropolitan statistical areas, and federal and

state legislative districts. In addition, the index maps HCV by age, gender and

race/ethnicity. Index users may generate color-coded maps of hepatitis C

prevalence, total counts and hospitalizations rates for downloading, printing,

and dissemination to support educational and advocacy initiatives.

''Identifying where hepatitis C is most prevalent may encourage early screening

and surveillance efforts and help to realize our national goal of prevention and

control of HCV infections in the United States, " says Howell, MD,

Director, hepatology research, University of land School of Medicine.

Hepatitis C prevalence disproportionately affects blacks (2.7%) versus whites

(1.4%), and is highest among the 40-64 age group (3.1%); the New York, Los

Angeles, and Chicago metropolitan areas are ranked one to three for total HCV

infections (source: Hepatitis C Index).

" Hepatitis C has infected nearly 4 million persons in the United States; almost

20% of HCV patients are hospitalized annually, resulting in a tremendous burden

on our U.S. health care system. These data derived from the Hepatitis C Index

serve as a reminder that the need exists for improved HCV surveillance, and

better targeting of HCV services to remedy this healthcare problem, " notes

Puckrein, PhD, CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum.

The Hepatitis C Index was developed with financial support from Vertex

Pharmaceuticals.

The National Minority Quality Forum (www.nmqf.org) is a non-profit healthcare

research and educational organization dedicated to the elimination of health

disparities. The Forum supports national and local efforts to eliminate the

disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in racial and

ethnic minorities and other special populations. The Forum has introduced

user-friendly, web-based disease atlases and indexes to provide a unique

two-dimensional view of various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease,

lung cancer, kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, and MRSA by zip code. Users now have an

unprecedented objective and reliable source of integrated data to validate the

existence of health disparities.

SOURCE National Minority Quality Forum

[Guest guest]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-minority-quality-forum-launches\

-the-hepatitis-c-index-126326148.html

National Minority Quality Forum Launches the Hepatitis C Index

New tool to help identify areas for increased education and screening for

hepatitis C

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of World

Hepatitis Day, the National Minority Quality Forum today launched the Hepatitis

C Index, a novel resource for mapping hepatitis C (http://www.maphepc.com).

For the first time, health-care practitioners, policy makers, advocacy groups,

and researchers will be able to quantify and map hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence

and total counts at the zip-code level for the United States as well as for

individual states, counties, metropolitan statistical areas, and federal and

state legislative districts. In addition, the index maps HCV by age, gender and

race/ethnicity. Index users may generate color-coded maps of hepatitis C

prevalence, total counts and hospitalizations rates for downloading, printing,

and dissemination to support educational and advocacy initiatives.

''Identifying where hepatitis C is most prevalent may encourage early screening

and surveillance efforts and help to realize our national goal of prevention and

control of HCV infections in the United States, " says Howell, MD,

Director, hepatology research, University of land School of Medicine.

Hepatitis C prevalence disproportionately affects blacks (2.7%) versus whites

(1.4%), and is highest among the 40-64 age group (3.1%); the New York, Los

Angeles, and Chicago metropolitan areas are ranked one to three for total HCV

infections (source: Hepatitis C Index).

" Hepatitis C has infected nearly 4 million persons in the United States; almost

20% of HCV patients are hospitalized annually, resulting in a tremendous burden

on our U.S. health care system. These data derived from the Hepatitis C Index

serve as a reminder that the need exists for improved HCV surveillance, and

better targeting of HCV services to remedy this healthcare problem, " notes

Puckrein, PhD, CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum.

The Hepatitis C Index was developed with financial support from Vertex

Pharmaceuticals.

The National Minority Quality Forum (www.nmqf.org) is a non-profit healthcare

research and educational organization dedicated to the elimination of health

disparities. The Forum supports national and local efforts to eliminate the

disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in racial and

ethnic minorities and other special populations. The Forum has introduced

user-friendly, web-based disease atlases and indexes to provide a unique

two-dimensional view of various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease,

lung cancer, kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, and MRSA by zip code. Users now have an

unprecedented objective and reliable source of integrated data to validate the

existence of health disparities.

SOURCE National Minority Quality Forum

[Guest guest]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-minority-quality-forum-launches\

-the-hepatitis-c-index-126326148.html

National Minority Quality Forum Launches the Hepatitis C Index

New tool to help identify areas for increased education and screening for

hepatitis C

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of World

Hepatitis Day, the National Minority Quality Forum today launched the Hepatitis

C Index, a novel resource for mapping hepatitis C (http://www.maphepc.com).

For the first time, health-care practitioners, policy makers, advocacy groups,

and researchers will be able to quantify and map hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence

and total counts at the zip-code level for the United States as well as for

individual states, counties, metropolitan statistical areas, and federal and

state legislative districts. In addition, the index maps HCV by age, gender and

race/ethnicity. Index users may generate color-coded maps of hepatitis C

prevalence, total counts and hospitalizations rates for downloading, printing,

and dissemination to support educational and advocacy initiatives.

''Identifying where hepatitis C is most prevalent may encourage early screening

and surveillance efforts and help to realize our national goal of prevention and

control of HCV infections in the United States, " says Howell, MD,

Director, hepatology research, University of land School of Medicine.

Hepatitis C prevalence disproportionately affects blacks (2.7%) versus whites

(1.4%), and is highest among the 40-64 age group (3.1%); the New York, Los

Angeles, and Chicago metropolitan areas are ranked one to three for total HCV

infections (source: Hepatitis C Index).

" Hepatitis C has infected nearly 4 million persons in the United States; almost

20% of HCV patients are hospitalized annually, resulting in a tremendous burden

on our U.S. health care system. These data derived from the Hepatitis C Index

serve as a reminder that the need exists for improved HCV surveillance, and

better targeting of HCV services to remedy this healthcare problem, " notes

Puckrein, PhD, CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum.

The Hepatitis C Index was developed with financial support from Vertex

Pharmaceuticals.

The National Minority Quality Forum (www.nmqf.org) is a non-profit healthcare

research and educational organization dedicated to the elimination of health

disparities. The Forum supports national and local efforts to eliminate the

disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in racial and

ethnic minorities and other special populations. The Forum has introduced

user-friendly, web-based disease atlases and indexes to provide a unique

two-dimensional view of various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease,

lung cancer, kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, and MRSA by zip code. Users now have an

unprecedented objective and reliable source of integrated data to validate the

existence of health disparities.

SOURCE National Minority Quality Forum

[Guest guest]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-minority-quality-forum-launches\

-the-hepatitis-c-index-126326148.html

National Minority Quality Forum Launches the Hepatitis C Index

New tool to help identify areas for increased education and screening for

hepatitis C

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of World

Hepatitis Day, the National Minority Quality Forum today launched the Hepatitis

C Index, a novel resource for mapping hepatitis C (http://www.maphepc.com).

For the first time, health-care practitioners, policy makers, advocacy groups,

and researchers will be able to quantify and map hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence

and total counts at the zip-code level for the United States as well as for

individual states, counties, metropolitan statistical areas, and federal and

state legislative districts. In addition, the index maps HCV by age, gender and

race/ethnicity. Index users may generate color-coded maps of hepatitis C

prevalence, total counts and hospitalizations rates for downloading, printing,

and dissemination to support educational and advocacy initiatives.

''Identifying where hepatitis C is most prevalent may encourage early screening

and surveillance efforts and help to realize our national goal of prevention and

control of HCV infections in the United States, " says Howell, MD,

Director, hepatology research, University of land School of Medicine.

Hepatitis C prevalence disproportionately affects blacks (2.7%) versus whites

(1.4%), and is highest among the 40-64 age group (3.1%); the New York, Los

Angeles, and Chicago metropolitan areas are ranked one to three for total HCV

infections (source: Hepatitis C Index).

" Hepatitis C has infected nearly 4 million persons in the United States; almost

20% of HCV patients are hospitalized annually, resulting in a tremendous burden

on our U.S. health care system. These data derived from the Hepatitis C Index

serve as a reminder that the need exists for improved HCV surveillance, and

better targeting of HCV services to remedy this healthcare problem, " notes

Puckrein, PhD, CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum.

The Hepatitis C Index was developed with financial support from Vertex

Pharmaceuticals.

The National Minority Quality Forum (www.nmqf.org) is a non-profit healthcare

research and educational organization dedicated to the elimination of health

disparities. The Forum supports national and local efforts to eliminate the

disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in racial and

ethnic minorities and other special populations. The Forum has introduced

user-friendly, web-based disease atlases and indexes to provide a unique

two-dimensional view of various diseases, including diabetes, heart disease,

lung cancer, kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, and MRSA by zip code. Users now have an

unprecedented objective and reliable source of integrated data to validate the

existence of health disparities.

SOURCE National Minority Quality Forum