It’s called the 2011 Arizona Health Status and Vital Statistics Annual Report… and last year’s report got hit upon 2,000,000 times. It gives our most granular public health information of the year including refined health statistics on pregnancies, births, reportable diseases, deaths, inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room visits, marriages, divorces and population for Arizona. The report provides critical data for health policy formulation, local, state, and federal programs and interventions, and resource allocation. All of AZs Universities use our Arizona-specific health status reports in classroom teaching. Here are a couple of highlights from this year’s “Big Book”
- The teen pregnancy rate decreased by 33% in the last 5 years.
- Infant mortality rates was the lowest in the State’s history.
- Car crash deaths increased 11% last year.
- The number of suicides was the highest ever recorded in State’s history (1,113).
Our public health statistics team also went live with our new AZ Hospital Compare website this week, which (for the first time) provides an online searchable database to help Arizonans make educated decisions about their healthcare. The new website will allow patients and their families to explore the care and outcomes, costs and charges of Arizona’s licensed hospitals. The transparency that the site provides will no doubt improve hospital performance as well. I have a feeling that AZ Hospital Compare may eventually rival our “Big Book” as our most popular report.
