Welcome  to  Public  Health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. Over  the  last  ten  years, the  death  rate  from  heart  disease  has  dropped 45%  in  Minnesota  faster  than  any  other  state. That's  according  to  a  report from  the  American  Heart  Association. John  Finnegan,  Dean  of  the University  of  Minnesota  School  of  Public  Health says  there  are  several  reasons  for  this. Good  news  here  in  Minnesota, we  have  a  reputation  for  being  a  very  healthy  state. And  I  think  a  lot  of  that  has  to  do  with the  fact  that  we  are  in  fact  more  prevention  oriented, but  there  are  other  reasons,  too. We  have  a  very  excellent  health  care  system  and  we  have a  relatively  low  percentage  of our  population  that  is  uninsured. And  wherever  you  find that  populations  have  more  insurance, it  means  that  they're  more  likely  to get  into  health  care  faster before  problems  really  spin out  of  control  and  begin  to  cost  a  lot  of  money. Finnegan  adds  that  health  education  and  research  at the  University  of  Minnesota  are  also factors  in  the  decline  of  heart  disease  in  Minnesota. We  are  very,  very  fortunate  in  this  state  to  have a  public  land  grant  research  university, and  that,  by  its  very  definition, is  an  institution  that generates  new  knowledge  for  the  state. I  mean,  we  do  this  certainly  for  industry, but  we  also  generate new  knowledge  for  science  that  ultimately results  in  better  health  care for  everyone  with  another  public  health  moment. I'm  Kristen  Staffer.