New Study Finds Link Between Poverty, Race, Premature Deaths and Health In Minnesota

A new study done by the Health Economics Program at the Minnesota Department of Health found a gap between poor and affluent area in Minnesota in rates of premature death sensitive to health care treatment, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The study looked into deaths in Minnesota between 2011 and 2015 to examine population differences in premature deaths that may have been prevented through timely and effective health care treatment.

 Key findings:

• One in five deaths of Minnesotans younger than 75 were potentially avoidable with effective and timely health care treatment.
• The rate of premature deaths was more than twice as high for Minnesotans living in areas with a high rate of poverty.
• People who live in areas that are both low income and racially and ethnically diverse had particularly high rates of preventable mortality for stroke and complications from common surgical procedures.