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May 3, 2012

Database Targets Community Health and Environmental Issues

A database designed to assist lawmakers and community activists with information regarding health and environmental issues has been launched by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank for black elected officials, and the National Minority Quality Forum.

The database will enable organizations to make health and environmental decisions by targeting their actions to where the problems are most severe and where help is needed.

The database is the first of its kind to combine information online from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said. The Environmental Protection Agency will be added to the database later.

“We want to reduce the time and effort that has been necessary for leaders in any part of the country to understand their local health and environmental conditions and convey that information to the right people,” said Gary A. Puckrein, president and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum. The  Washington, D.C.-based non-profit research and educational organization is dedicated to ensuring that high-risk populations and communities receive optimal health care.

Danielle Deane, director of the Joint Center's Energy and Environment Program, said one goal is to make the database easy for anyone to access and to analyze.

“Information has to be brought to life in real time to tell a story and have impact, and this database is a tool that will make effective data storytelling for any lawmaker or community activist,” Deane added.

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