National Committee on Vital & Health Statistics


JUL 2 1997

The Honorable Donna E. Shalala
Secretary of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Shalala:

On behalf of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), I am pleased to forward to you recommendations on community health assessment and the respective roles of state health agencies and the federal government in facilitating the assessment process. These recommendations are the outcome of a series of hearings by the NCVHS Subcommittee on State and Community Health Statistics that included testimony from individuals at every level of government and the private sector.

The Committee would like the HHS Data Council to consider the recommendations that are relevant to the Department and encourage their adoption. We also are sending copies of this letter to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the National Association of County and City Health Officials for their consideration.

The NCVHS Subcommittee on Health Data Needs, Standards and Security, chaired by Dr. Barbara Starfield, has assumed the charge of the former Subcommittee on State and Community Health Statistics and will follow progress in this important area.

Sincerely,

/s/

Don E. Detmer, M.D.
Chairman

Enclosure

cc:
David Garrison
Bruce Vladeck, Ph.D.