The sites listed on this page are not created, maintained, or endorsed by the Minnesota Legislature.
Public Health and Policy: Minnesota
- DATANET County Health Profiles - Health indicators for all Minnesota counties and the state organized into five groups: demographic and vital statistics, morbidity and health care utilization data, chemical health indicators, environmental health data, and maternal and child health data.
- Governor's Health Cabinet - Created in 2004 by Governor Pawlenty to address the cost of health care, access to quality care, consumer education and prevention. The group is commissioned to implement and develop health care reform initiatives.
- Minnesota Birth Certificates Index - Currently covers the years from 1900-1934, as well as some pre 1900 data.
- Minnesota Board of Medical Practice - The Board administers the Medical Practices Act, which creates minimum standards for licensure. Includes a link to the Health Professional Database, a directory of licensed health professionals in Minnesota and their disciplinary status.
- Minnesota Death Certificates Index - The Minnesota Historical Society hosts an index of death certificates to improve access to this popular resource.
- Minnesota Department of Health - Includes health statistics, information on department functions, structured PubMed searches on public health topics, a history of the health department, Public Health is People: A History of the Minnesota Department of Health from 1949 to 1999, and much more. The Health Economics Program's reports to the legislature include background information on many topics such as Minnesota health care coverage and uncompensated health care.
- Minnesota Health Information - Information from the Governor's Health Cabinet to enable Minnesotans to be better health care consumers.
- Minnesota Health Scores - A non-profit website that provides objective information on the quality of health care in Minnesota and surrounding areas.
- Minnesota Hospital Association - MHA is a trade association representing Minnesota's hospitals and health systems. This site includes links to their hospital reports.
- Minnesota Injury Data Access System (MIDAS) - A database of injury and violence statistics from the Minnesota Department of Health. Reports can be generated by specific county, for a type of injury, or by gender, time frame, or other factor.
- Minnesota Medical Association - News, legislative alerts, and background from "medicine's voice in Minnesota."
- Minnesota RxConnect Online - A site from the state of Minnesota providing information on prescription medicine, safety and cost-saving tips, and programs to help low-income Minnesotans pay for prescription medications. This site also provides information about accessing lower-cost prescription medicine from Canada.
- My Health Minnesota -> Go Local - This site links MedlinePlus, the federal medical consumer website, and Minnesota medical health services by agency name, city or zip code.
Public Health and Policy: National
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) - This agency produces the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). These reports measure trends in effectiveness of care, patient safety, timeliness of care, patient centeredness, and efficiency of care.
- American Public Health Association - News and information relating to disease prevention and health promotion, including the American Journal of Public Health.
- Center for Bioethics - The University of Pennsylvania's center discusses moral implications of science, medicine, and research.
- Centers for Law and the Public's Health - From Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities, the center acts as a resource on public health law, ethics, and policy. Includes model legislation that addresses current public health issues.
- Center for Studying Health System Change - Public policy research on health insurance and health care, with a community focus.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - This federal site provides access to health information, health for travelers, and public health statistics. There is a great deal of information about diseases at health topics A-Z. National Center for Health Statistics provides health data and publications.
- The Commonwealth Fund - Researches health care policy and practice with the goal of improving the health care system. Numerous reports on state health care and policy.
- Georgetown University Health Policy Institute - Provides state-by-state guides for consumers as well as reports.
- Health News - From stateline.org, a project of the Pew Center on the States and an excellent source of current information including newspaper stories from around the country.
- Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation - An independent health care philanthropy focusing on health policy information with information about Medicaid, Medicare, the uninsured, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health. Kaiser State Health Facts contains the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. The foundation also produces the Medicaid Resource Book. Their recent reports on health coverage and the uninsured include Health Insurance Coverage of America's Children.
- Heritage Foundation: Health Care - Policy and news from the Heritage Foundation.
- Institute of Medicine - Part of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides information and advice concerning health and science policy to government, health professionals, and the public. This site provides access to recent reports and studies carried out by the IOM.
- The Joint Commission - A national organization which evaluates and accredits health care organizations. They provide a searchable database of their evaluations of health care organizations from all over the country.
- National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) - A forum of state health policy makers, NASHP provides statistical information and state-by-state comparisons regarding a variety of public health and policy issues.
- National Center for Health Workforce Analysis - The site from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration tracks and disseminates statistics on the health care workforce. Includes State Health Workforce Profiles.
- National Conference of State Legislatures: Health - News and information on current health issues including the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Free registration required.
- Public Agenda Issue Guide: Health Care - Offers background, facts presented graphically, poll data, a digest of recent news stories, and much more on the topics of health care and Medicare.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Statistics and research reports on a variety of public health topics, from alcohol and drugs to health insurance coverage and end-of-life care.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Includes information on the department and its activities as well as subject access to health topics. Includes the Bureau of Health Professions providing information on health care quality and health care workforce trends, as well as various practitioner data banks.
Health Insurance: Minnesota
- Minnesota Council of Health Plans - Represents Minnesota health care organizations.
- Minnesota Department of Human Services - This Minnesota agency oversees Minnesota's publicly funded health care programs, including Minnesota's Medical Assistance Program (MA), General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), and MinnesotaCare.
- State Health Access Data Assistance Center, from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, provides "targeted policy research and technical expertise on the collection and use of policy-relevant data on health services, including insurance coverage, access to care and utilization." Includes state reports, state health access profiles, and research papers.
- State Health Facts: Minnesota - Minnesota information on Medicaid and the uninsured, from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Other states can be found at State Health Facts.
Health Insurance: National
- Census Bureau's Health Insurance Data - Children's health insurance data, general data on health insurance coverage, and recent health insurance estimates.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) - Formerly known as the Health Care Financing Administration. This site includes policy, statistics, and consumer information on HIPAA, Medicare, CHIP, and Medicaid. The statistics and data section is a valuable source of data, especially about Medicaid, as is the medicare coverage database.
- Medicare.gov - The official Medicare website. Includes contact information and evaluation tools in addition to basic information, as well as Nursing Home Compare, a database with information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.
- Coalition Against Insurance Fraud - State and federal legislation, news and statistics regarding insurance fraud. Includes a database of state anti-fraud statutes.
- National Committee for Quality Assurance - Accreditation and performance measurement information for managed care plans throughout the country including plan report cards.
General Health and Wellness
- American Dental Association - Dentistry-related information, including an A-Z topics list.
- American Medical Association - Consumer health information, as well as recent issues of the JAMA and American Medical News.
- American Nurses Association - News and information related to the profession of nursing.
- FDA Consumer Health Information - Includes consumer updates and publications about medicine, food and nutrition, and medical devices and procedures.
- Healthfinder - Sponsored by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, this is a gateway to many sources of consumer health information.
- Mayo Clinic - Featuring Mayo Clinic publications and information and tools for healthy living.
- National Institutes of Health - Health information, such as publications, fact sheets, and clinical trials, and scientific resources, such as journals and research protocols. The NIH also provides access to PubMed, the free Internet version of Medline, a database containing over 11 million references to medical articles, and MedlinePlus, which includes authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations. MedlinePlus also has extensive information about drugs, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and latest health news.
- National Library of Medicine - A wealth of health information from the world's largest medical library.
- National Network of Libraries in Medicine - Health information from a program coordinated by the National Library of Medicine.
- New England Journal of Medicine - Full text of one of the preeminent U.S. medical journals.
- PubMed - The free Internet version of Medline, a database containing over 11 million references to medical articles, provided by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
Mental Health
- Center for Mental Health Services - From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Includes statistics and information on state agencies, facilities, and grants.
- DHS Mental Health - The Minnesota Department of Human Services' Mental Health Division.
- Mental Health Association of Minnesota - News and information about mental illness and Minnesota's mental health system.
- Minnesota Office of the Ombudsman for Mental Health and Mental Retardation - Minnesota's government advocate for citizens in Minnesota's mental health system.
- NAMI - Produced by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, this site provides information and advocacy issues relating to mental illness.
- National Institute of Mental Health - Research and publications on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses.
- Mental Health America - News, legislative information, and advocacy from this national nonprofit organization.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - The federal agency charged with administering mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention programs.
Complementary and Alternative Health
- Office of Unlicensed Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice - From the Minnesota Department of Health, this page has regulatory and other information for practitioners of alternative medicine in Minnesota.
- Alternative Medicine Foundation - Information on evidence-based research resources for health care professionals, patients, and consumers regarding the integration of alternative and conventional medicine. Includes a database of clinical herbal supplement information.
- Alternative Medicine Homepage - A bibliography of alternative medicine sites from the University of Pittsburgh.
- ConsumerLab.com - An independent organization which tests the quality and potency of a variety of dietary supplements and other alternative care products.
- National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine - A branch of the National Institutes of Health dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science. They have a variety of fact sheets providing information on various topics, including acupuncture and alternative cancer treatments. Includes a link to CAM on PubMed, with access to citations to journal articles related to complementary and alternative medicine.
- Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary and herbal supplement information and research from the National Institutes of Health.
Flu Resources
- BeReadyMN.com - This website provides information to Minnesota state agencies and employees during emergencies or events that may threaten to disrupt critical government services.
- Centers for Disease Control - Includes information for many audiences, including health care providers and schools.
- Flu.gov - Flu.gov provides comprehensive government-wide information on pandemic influenza and avian influenza for the general public, health and emergency preparedness professionals, policy makers, government and business leaders, school systems, and local communities.
- H1N1 and Influenza (Flu) - Evidence-based medical information from Ebsco publishing.
- H1N1 (Swine Flu) - Links to many resources about H1N1 from MedlinePlus.
- Minnesota Department of Health - Minnesota-specific information about H1N1 flu.
