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Until
now, every agency, board, and commission in state government had their own logo
(or no logo). The lack of a cohesive brand can be confusing. We want our
customers to know when they are interacting with state government. State
agencies work together to make life better for all Minnesotans, and a unified
brand helps covey that message.
The Minnesota Department of
Health (MDH) transitioned to the new brand on June 1, 2017. Check out the MDH Certificates and
Records page; quickly link to information for medical
certifiers, funeral staff, birth registrars and county vital records office
staff under the Professionals subheading.
Vital Records News has changed to the new brand too! Now
that you can read Vital Records News on your phone, look for tips, upcoming
events and contact information at the end of the newsletter.
Watch the MDH/OVR
webpages for the new brand on Office of Vital Records (OVR) forms over the next
months. OVR will notify user groups as updated forms are made available. In
the short term, you will know that you have the most current form if it has the
new look.
The
Opioid Epidemic
Overdose deaths from opioids, including
prescription opioids and heroin, have more than quadrupled since 1999. Opioids
are a class of drugs used to treat moderate to severe pain. Prescription
opioids include hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, methadone, and fentanyl.
Heroin is an illegal opioid. All have serious risks and side effects. Among
52,404 drug overdose deaths that occurred in 2015 in the United States, 33,091
(63.1%) involved an opioid.
 Opioid Overdose (http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/healthimprovement/health-information/prevention/opioid.html)
Drug overdose deaths among Minnesota
residents reveal an alarming trend, jumping 11 percent from 2014 to 2015
according to MDH’s Injury and Violence Prevention Unit’s report, Drug overdose deaths among Minnesota residents
2000-2015. Minnesota had 572 people die from drug overdoses in 2015.
Of those, 221 deaths were associated with prescription opiate pain relievers
and 114 were deaths associated with heroin.
Misuse of prescription opioids intertwines with that of
illicit opioids. The
percentage of drug overdose deaths involving heroin was triple the percentage
in 2010. And, that may be the tip
of the iceberg. In approximately 1 in 5 drug overdose deaths, the death
certificate lists no specific drug. In many deaths, multiple drugs are present,
and it is difficult to identify which drug or drugs caused the death (for
example, heroin or a prescription opioid, when both are present). Read more at CDC Opioid Data
Analysis.
National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
Vital Statistics Rapid Release shows
the Quarterly Provisional Estimates for drug overdose death rates continues in
an upward trend in 2016. The crude death rate for drug overdose for the
12-month period ending with 2016 quarter two was 17.5, higher than the crude
death rate of 15.5 in 2015 quarter two.
The ongoing epidemic of opioid deaths requires attention and
action. State and local public health agencies, medical examiners and coroners,
law enforcement and others working together, use data to help track trends,
identify communities at risk, and evaluate prevention strategies. Reporting drug-poisoning
deaths that mention the type of drug(s) involved on the death record is one
way, one record at a time, we join the fight to end the opioid overdose
epidemic.
Read more at The
opioid epidemic may be even deadlier than we think
.
A recent report highlights the ongoing problem
of over reporting on the pregnancy checkbox item on death certificates. Read more... Trends in Maternal Mortality by Sociodemographic Characteristics and Cause of Death in 27 States and the District of Columbia.
The Office of Vital Records congratulates Terri Quanrud,
Birth Registrar at Riverview Health in Crookston, Minnesota. Terri is the randomly
chosen winner of the May 2017 “I read Vital Records News” drawing. Thanks to all who participated.
Over 7,400 people receive Vital Records News each month. Encourage
your colleagues to read the newsletter for the latest vital records program information
and upcoming events. Thank you for your continued readership.
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 5 - 8, 2017, National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) Annual Meeting, Memphis, Tennessee.
June 13 - 16, 2017, Minnesota County Recorders Association (MCRA) Summer Conference, Deerwood, Minnesota. OVR presenting and exhibiting.
June 21-21, 2017, Stillbirth Summit 2017, Bloomington, Minnesota. OVR exhibiting.
June 29, 2017, CentraCare Birth Registrar Training, Sauk Center, Minnesota.
July 11, 2017, Birth Registration 101, St. Paul, Minnesota.
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