Dr. Jim Peacock

I don't actually work in health, but I work in a small community and I can make things better for the people that live here by offering healthy fruits and vegetables in my store or by providing a place for people to be physically active and where they feel safe to do that and supported to do that. Those are just some small examples.

I don't actually work in health, but I work in a small community and I can make things better for the people that live here by offering healthy fruits and vegetables in my store or by providing a place for people to be physically active and where they feel safe to do that and supported to do that. Those are just some small examples.

So yes, Stan, it's an interesting trajectory for these conditions, sort of the deaths in Minnesota. For cardiovascular disease, especially, and for stroke to some degree, All across the country, we saw rapid declines, really big improvements for decades in the death rates due to these conditions.

So yes, Stan, it's an interesting trajectory for these conditions, sort of the deaths in Minnesota. For cardiovascular disease, especially, and for stroke to some degree, All across the country, we saw rapid declines, really big improvements for decades in the death rates due to these conditions.

And that's due to a number of things, reduction in the amount of people smoking, the introduction of new therapies like high blood pressure medications or statins as a way to manage and control the risk factors that lead to those conditions. But that has really flattened out since about 2010 in every state in the country.

And that's due to a number of things, reduction in the amount of people smoking, the introduction of new therapies like high blood pressure medications or statins as a way to manage and control the risk factors that lead to those conditions. But that has really flattened out since about 2010 in every state in the country.

Minnesota historically has had the lowest death rate in the country due to cardiovascular disease. I believe that's still the case. But the data that you quoted are from 2021. Although not released yet, provisional data from 2022 show a pretty large increase in heart disease deaths in Minnesota last year. Every state in the country has seen this happen in different ways and at different times.

Minnesota historically has had the lowest death rate in the country due to cardiovascular disease. I believe that's still the case. But the data that you quoted are from 2021. Although not released yet, provisional data from 2022 show a pretty large increase in heart disease deaths in Minnesota last year. Every state in the country has seen this happen in different ways and at different times.

I will say COVID has had a very large impact on chronic disease deaths and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke are part of that equation. Those have gone up fairly strongly in all parts of the country since 2020.

I will say COVID has had a very large impact on chronic disease deaths and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke are part of that equation. Those have gone up fairly strongly in all parts of the country since 2020.

So it's really, it's not that we're at an inflection point, but we really are at a point where those trends that had existed for decades where we could sort of rely on improvements in health They just aren't happening anymore.

So it's really, it's not that we're at an inflection point, but we really are at a point where those trends that had existed for decades where we could sort of rely on improvements in health They just aren't happening anymore.

And COVID has, I think, laid bare not only it really is laid bare a chronic disease epidemic in the United States where many people have poor risk factor profiles, inability to access healthy foods or find a place to exercise. lack of awareness about whether or not they have high blood pressure and or not able to control that if they are on medication.

And COVID has, I think, laid bare not only it really is laid bare a chronic disease epidemic in the United States where many people have poor risk factor profiles, inability to access healthy foods or find a place to exercise. lack of awareness about whether or not they have high blood pressure and or not able to control that if they are on medication.

It's a larger problem in the United States than many other Western industrialized countries. And that's evidence in the fact that our death rate or our length of life has been slowing in this country compared to other places. We're falling behind a lot of other places with similar economies and similar levels of development.

It's a larger problem in the United States than many other Western industrialized countries. And that's evidence in the fact that our death rate or our length of life has been slowing in this country compared to other places. We're falling behind a lot of other places with similar economies and similar levels of development.

Yeah, I can start on that, Clarence. So the point of this plan, and I think we list this how we describe it as a call to action. for communities and healthcare systems, community and organizational leaders, but we specifically put communities first in that list.

Yeah, I can start on that, Clarence. So the point of this plan, and I think we list this how we describe it as a call to action. for communities and healthcare systems, community and organizational leaders, but we specifically put communities first in that list.

As Courtney just described, communities are much closer to understanding what's going right, but also what's not going right in their community. And we want to make sure that this plan is designed in such a way that it's not just the state health department, or it's this esteemed group of committee members that helped finalize this plan, making decisions.

As Courtney just described, communities are much closer to understanding what's going right, but also what's not going right in their community. And we want to make sure that this plan is designed in such a way that it's not just the state health department, or it's this esteemed group of committee members that helped finalize this plan, making decisions.