Cardiovascular & Cancer Rates for the Rural Delta Region: Rural Delta Region Map Tool
The Delta Region is made up of 252 counties/parishes near the lower Mississippi River in eight states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee). It has high rates of economic distress, persistent poverty, and markers for poor health outcomes. Of the 252 counties, 178 are rural/non-metro and 74 are urban/metro defined using 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas.
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is one federal agency investing in the health of people residing in the Delta Region by enhancing health care delivery and addressing unmet health care needs and prevalent health disparities. Examples of HRSA grant programs in the Delta Region include the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Project, the Delta States Rural Development Network Grant Program, and the Delta Region Rural Health Workforce Training Program.
To assist with these and other initiatives, the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program has created an interactive, web-based mapping tool and provides data on rates of cancer and cardiovascular diseases across the Delta Region. Users can access maps and data tables which include 13 health indicators, with county-level rates stratified by rural and urban areas, and can compare disease rates among counties. Data for metro Delta counties are also available and can be included or excluded based on users' needs.