About the National Center for Health Statistics

Welcome to the National Center for Health Statistics' website, a rich source of information about America's health. As the Nation's principal health statistics agency, we compile statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of our people. We are a unique public resource for health information - a critical element of public health and health policy.

Our health statistics allow us to:

• document the health status of the population and of important subgroups
• identify disparities in health status and use of health care by race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, region, and other population characteristics
• describe our experiences with the health care system
• monitor trends in health status and health care delivery
• identify health problems
• support biomedical and health services research
• provide information for making changes in public policies and programs
• evaluate the impact of health policies and programs

Working with partners throughout the health community, we use a variety of approaches to efficiently obtain information from the sources most able to provide information. We collect data from birth and death records, medical records, interview surveys, and through direct physical exams and laboratory testing. NCHS is a key element of our national public health infrastructure, providing important surveillance information that helps identify and address critical health problems.

Here at NCHS, information is at the core of our mission, and our website is a vital part of our effort to make this information work for you. Our site is designed to provide you with quick and easy access to the wide range of information and data available from us. We include an overview of our major data collection activities, present our data findings, and provide information about special activities and initiatives to improve access to -- and the quality of -- health statistics information. Our website has links to additional sources of health information and provides a way for you to query us electronically to obtain answers to your specific questions.

Information about how NCHS protects personal information obtained in data collection activities is described at NCHS confidentiality.

Although we worked hard to make our site easy to use, we are always striving to make it better. If you have any comments or questions about our work or about our site, please send them to cdcinfo@cdc.gov.

We appreciate your interest and we hope you will visit us again soon.

Sincerely,

Charles J. Rothwell, M.B.A, M.S.
Director
National Center for Health Statistics