Overview

Many states maintain data on substance misuse and suicide-related problems, including death rates. Mapping is used frequently to communicate this data to stakeholders. However, individual states do not always have access to the data from neighboring states, or the data is not easily comparable across state lines. In HHS Region 7, important population centers and transportation routes exist at and across state borders. Therefore, it makes sense to map and share data that is easily comparable across state boundaries. In this example, data on deaths related to ATOD use is combined with data on deaths by suicide to provide a more complete picture of behavioral health-related mortality in the across the region. Hopefully, this model of data sharing can facilitate cross-state and region-wide planning and collaboration to address behavioral health problems.