The National Minority Quality Forum launches its CVD Atlas

WASHINGTON An organization focused on health disparities among minority populations announced Monday that it would launch an atlas that maps the prevalence of cardiovascular disease nationwide.

The National Minority Quality Forum announced the launch of the CVD Atlas at its sixth annual Health Disparities Leadership Summit, with the endorsement of the American College of Cardiology and support from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

The atlas allows users to map the prevalence by state, legislative district, age, gender, race and ethnicity. Minority groups in the United States experience disparities in cardiovascular health that include higher rates of obesity, heart disease and other conditions, the NMQF said.

“More must be done to reduce the disparities in cardiovascular health seen across the country,” American College of Cardiology CEO Jack Lewin said. “The CVD Atlas represents a new tool in our efforts to reduce health disparities.”

The CVD Atlas is part of the NMQF’s ZIP code database, the Z Atlas, which also includes similar tools for HIV and AIDS, kidney disease and diabetes.