“All of Us” Research Program at North Country HealthCare

05/30/2019 by Starla Collins

Do you ever wonder how we know about the health and lifestyle of certain populations? Or how we know what the health concerns of certain groups are? The answer is, from people like YOU! Health information and research exists only through the participation of patients who are willing to be part of the learning process.

We at North Country HealthCare are committed creating healthier communities. That’s why North Country HealthCare is partnering with the National Institute of Health (NIH) to help educate our patients about the All of Us Research Program (AoURP). The AoURP is a ten-year study to help healthcare providers better understand how individual differences in life, environment and access to resources impact our nation’s health. In the past, health research has not been very diverse. When studies lack diversity, they are not as accurate and do not show a full picture of what health looks like in our communities. At North Country HealthCare, we recognize and celebrate that our patients are diverse and want the field of medicine to better serve northern Arizona.

“The mission of the All of Us Research Program is simple. We want to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs. To do this, we’re asking one million people to lead the way to provide the types of information that can help us create individualized prevention, treatment, and care for all of us.” – NIH

NIH has an ambitious goal for this program; the researchers want to sign up one million people for this ten-year effort. The commitment is as much or as little as someone is comfortable with. Those who are interested can share everything from biospecimen data to generic health information over the ten years. However much you choose to participate, it is always confidential and secure. We will never disclose your personal information to anyone that should not have access. This is the largest program of its kind that NIH has attempted, and we want to invite anyone and everyone to participate with us.

If you are interested in signing up, you can visit joinallofus.org or call the AoURP support center at (844) 842-2855. We can also answer any questions at the North Country HealthCare location closest to you. At most of our locations, iPads are available to sign up to participate in the research program.

What’s possible with the All of Us Research Program?

Researchers can use this data to better understand health and disease.

This could:

• Identify risk factors for certain diseases.
• Join people with the right clinical studies.
• Figure out which treatments work for different types of people.
• Explore how technology can encourage people to take better care of their health.

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