Visualizing Colonoscopy Capacity for Public Health Use

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Population Age-Eligible for Colorectal Cancer Screening, by Census Tract, and Location of Facilities with Colonoscopy Capacity, North Dakota, 2016. The map shows the population that is age-eligible for colorectal cancer screening (aged 50 to 74 years) in 2015, by census tract and location of facilities with colonoscopy capacity in North Dakota in 2016. Census tracts with populations of less than 719 are concentrated in the western part of the state and scattered throughout the rest of the state. Tracts with populations of 179 to 1,836 are mostly in the central and eastern part of the state. The tracts with populations of 1,837 to 4,521 are mostly near or part of major cities: Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Fargo. Facilities in the state are mostly in the eastern and central part of the state, with few facilities in the west. The western facilities also generally have smaller capacity than those in the rest of the state. Fargo has the facility with the largest capacity (9,100); almost 100% of that capacity is used. Dickinson has a medium-capacity facility (625–2,600) where approximately 50% of its capacity is used. Most of the smaller facilities in the state (capacity of 25 to 624) have almost 100% of their capacity used. In 4 cities, there are 2 facilities within one-half mile to 4 miles of one another: Williston, Dickinson, Bismarck, and Fargo. In Williston, almost 100% of the capacity of both facilities is used. In the other cities, 1 facility has almost 100% of its capacity used and 1 facility has a far smaller proportion of its capacity used. Source for the data is the 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (1).

The map depicts locations of facilities performing colonoscopy in North Dakota, in addition to each facility’s maximum annual colonoscopy capacity and proportion of capacity used. Overall, 60.7% of the statewide capacity is used. The distribution of North Dakota’s age-eligible population for colorectal cancer screening is shown by census tract. This type of data collection and visualization is appropriate for informing and generating discussion among stakeholders around health status, needs, and gaps.

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