Minnesota Data Sharing May Be Model For Near-Real-Time Tracking Of Drug Overdose Hospital And ED Trends.

The drug overdose epidemic in the US necessitates detailed and timely data to inform public health responses. In this article we describe how an electronic health record (EHR) data-sharing collaboration across health systems in Minnesota that was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was adapted to monitor trends in substance use-related hospital and emergency department (ED) visits. We found large increases in methamphetamine- and opioid-involved hospital and ED visits. Throughout the study period, Native American, Black, and multiple-race people experienced the highest rates of drug-involved hospital and ED visits. Monitoring drug-involved health care use through EHR data has the potential to help public health officials detect trends in near real time before mortality spikes and may also inform early intervention. The use of EHR data also allows for detailed monitoring of the impact of the drug overdose epidemic across racial and ethnic groups.

The Impact of Multiple Strategies to Encourage Fruit and Vegetable Consumption During School Lunch.

BACKGROUND: Hennepin County partnered with schools to implement lunchroom strategies to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. An in-depth evaluation measured changes in consumption following implementation of encouragement strategies including slicing apples and attractive labels. METHODS: A pre-post prospective evaluation measured changes in average fruit and vegetable consumption at 2 elementary schools. The plate waste method was used to weigh individual waste. To measure consumption, 373 students were matched pre/post. Additional measures included change in fruit and vegetable selection, change in whole servings consumed and apple consumption. RESULTS: Average fruit consumption increased by 3.0 g (p = .09), average vegetable consumption increased by 1.1 g (p = .27), neither significantly. The number of students selecting fruit significantly increased (p = .02), while the number taking vegetables increased, but not significantly (p = .28). The number of students consuming an entire serving of fruit (p = .15) or vegetables (p = .45) both increased but not significantly. Apple consumption more than doubled at one school. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing lunchroom changes can increase the number of students selecting fruit, and changes including slicing can increase consumption of apples. Additional strategies are needed to increase vegetable selection and fruit and vegetable consumption.