CHELMSFORD, Mass., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan Diagnostics, the developer of point-of-care lead testing devices, today announced it is collaborating with the National Minority Quality Forum (the Forum) to create Web-based tools and information for indexing lead exposure levels across the country. The collaboration will result in a new index for the Forum, which has created a series of user-friendly Web-based tools that enable users to understand incidence and prevalence of disease on a national, state, and local level.
“Lead exposure is one of the most preventable poisonings, particularly in children who are most vulnerable to its lasting effects,” said Amy Winslow, president of Magellan Diagnostics. “Education and awareness, on a local level, can help people understand their exposure risk and act accordingly, while at the same time, inform local and state agencies of the potential need for more resources in their communities.”
The Forum’s indexes and atlases are organized by disease and provide users with unparalleled access to zip-code-based maps and information on incidence, prevalence, and costs. Profiling each disease, the indexes and atlases allow users to monitor health status by state, by county, by metropolitan statistical area, zip code or by federal or state legislative district.
“It is difficult to get a true picture of the lead issue at a local level,” explains Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of the Forum. “Our approach combines an intuitive user interface with currently available data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state agencies, to provide the granularity needed for communities to take preventive action.”
Magellan Diagnostics and the Forum will make the index available to the public, enabling anyone to search for lead exposure data at the zip-code level. The index is scheduled to be completed in June 2012.
About the Forum
The National Minority Quality Forum (www.nmqf.org) is a non-profit healthcare research and educational organization dedicated to the elimination of health disparities. The Forum has introduced user-friendly, Web-based disease indexes and atlases to provide a unique two-dimensional view of various diseases, including cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS, by zip code.
About Magellan Diagnostics
Magellan Diagnostics develops point-of-care systems, clinical laboratory instruments, and analytical laboratory services focused on lead testing. Its LeadCareII device is the only CLIA-waived device available for testing lead exposure at the point of care. It is currently being used by thousands of pediatricians and nurses across the United States to provide screening and rapid diagnosis for the millions of young children who are most at risk of lead poisoning and its devastating consequences. For more information visit www.magellandx.com.
SOURCE Magellan Diagnostics
