Health Rankings

Office of Performance Improvement (OPI)

Frequently Asked Questions about the Rankings

When will the 2013 Rankings be released?

The 2013 Rankings will be available for counties to view under an embargo, prior to opening to the general public.

March 12: Data available under embargo
March 19: Embargo ends (11:01 p.m. CDT)
March 20: Rankings officially released

Who do I contact with questions about the Rankings?

Who creates the Rankings?

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Learn more at: About the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

What goes into ranking Minnesota's counties?
Why are social and economic factors weighted so heavily?

Counties are ranked in two categories: health outcomes and health factors (also known as health determinants). Health outcomes include the rate of people dying before age 75, the percentage of people who report being in fair or poor health and the rate of low birth-weight infants. Health factors include health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. The rankings, launched in 2010, are designed to compare the health of counties within each state; they do not compare counties in one state with counties in another state.

As we know from Minnesota's Statewide Health Assessment, the social and economic factors in our lives impact our health a great deal. The Rankings consider social and economic factors to reflect that.

For more information on how the Rankings work, visit: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps: Ranking Methods

When can I access the Rankings?

Local public health will be able to access the Rankings under an embargo on March 12. The Rankings will be available to the general public on March 19 at 11:01 p.m. CDT.

What is a data embargo?

The County Health Rankings data is embargoed until the Rankings are officially released on March 20. This means that the media should not publish stories prior to that time.

It is recommended that local health departments not share Rankings information with anyone, except possibly media, prior to March 20. This is needed to ensure the embargo holds. If you choose to share information with the media prior to the March 20 release, please be sure to include an embargo statement, such as:

This information is embargoed until 11:01 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, March 19. It should not be discussed publicly or published in the media prior to that time.

UWPHI will provide information to national media prior to the March 20 release; this means you could be contacted by media prior to that day.

If you absolutely feel the need to share the information with someone, please consult with MDH.

How can I get to the embargoed Rankings?

If you are a CHS Administrator or PHN Director in Minnesota, you will have received a listserv message with a login and password. If you are one of the above and need the information, please contact MDH.

If you are a CHS Administrator or PHN Director and have the login and password, please do not share it with media or other partners.

What should I say to media if they contact me?

If you are a CHS Administrator or PHN Director, you will have received a listserv message with some key resources to help you talk to your local media (re-request this information).

MDH will also issue a news release on March 20, and will provide embargoed copies of the report to any media who request them. MDH will also notify local public health departments via the listserv when they receive a request from local media. We will encourage media to contact local health departments for more information.

For a collection of 2012 media coverage regarding the Rankings, visit: Archive: 2012 Rankings