Addressing Health Equity by Building a Local Data-to-Action Practice
A publication of the Local Data for Equitable Communities Resource Hub
Building a practice of moving from data to action takes time, a committed organization, and sustained investment. In rural Cook County, Georgia, one organization used this approach to develop a platform to address health equity for residents.
In 2019, Cook County Family Connection (CCFC) began its journey toward a data-to-action model after receiving funding to research social determinants of health in rural Cook County, Georgia. Their research investigated secondary data, revealing striking differences in health outcomes and life expectancies across communities in the county. These findings sparked public gatherings to talk about the data and created an ongoing process of identifying health inequities within the county. Developing an understanding of health inequities also positioned CCFC to be responsive to health needs in the county caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
CCFC’s health equity research informed the development of a project in 2020 to learn about the challenges county residents were experiencing because of the pandemic. Based on data collected through surveys and interviews, CCFC identified food insecurity and mental health as key needs, which they were able to address through partnerships and state funding. CCFC coordinated the distribution of more than 250,000 pounds of food through new systems during the pandemic and brought a full-time therapist to Cook County schools. CCFC was effective at leveraging data to engage state and local funders about the health needs of county residents and to determine where to direct resources to address those needs.
Using Data to Deepen Understanding of Health Inequities
Building off their previous projects, CCFC knew that the western census tract in rural Cook County had the highest proportion of Black and Hispanic residents and worse health outcomes than the rest of the county. In 2023, CCFC received funding to collect new data to expand their understanding of residents’ needs in the western census tract and demonstrate how to address health disparities.
CCFC conducted surveys, focus groups, and key informant interviews. Resident surveys and focus groups were conducted in partnership with community organizations, schools, and social service providers and focused on residents’ well-being and access to services. A windshield survey documented built-environment conditions in the area — including for housing, public spaces, and infrastructure — and mapped community assets, including grocery stores, parks, churches, and child care centers. Key informant interviews engaged local leaders and partners about what resources are available and most needed in the community.
The majority of residents surveyed rated their own financial situation as poor. Residents surveyed also identified blight, young people not engaged in school or working, and homelessness as community challenges. They noted their community lacked urgent care facilities, public transportation, decent housing, and youth programs. The survey also documented community assets, with residents expressing appreciation for their area’s safety, neighborly atmosphere, quality county school system, and highly rated child care providers. The community priorities they identified included improving access to health care (including addiction and mental health services), public transportation, youth and parenting programs, homelessness services, a community center, and affordable housing and utilities. Focus group participants shared many of the same concerns as survey respondents and added their personal stories and experiences, noting that the western census tract is rarely the focus of research or investments and planning to improve health equity.
“For years, I’ve been invisible, and nobody cared what I thought, what my ideas were. So just to have somebody listen is so important.” — Focus group participant
CCFC published a research report in the fall of 2023 and has been disseminating findings through local media, social media, and direct outreach to key partners. Their direct outreach includes talking with local and state agencies and funders and sharing ways to get involved and invest in improving the health disparities in the western tract revealed by the data.
Several new collaborations and opportunities are already emerging in response to this research. The Cook County Drug Treatment and Education Fund is providing mini grants to 10 partner agencies in the western tract of Cook County to implement drug prevention projects, reaching 1,000 children and youth. These funds are direct investments in the health equity and community safety work of organizations working in the western tract of Cook County. In addition, CCFC is developing a partnership with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission/Agency on Aging to provide telephone reassurance services and supplemental food supplies to seniors with low incomes. CCFC is seeking more collaborations that can address health disparities in the western census tract, such as providing mentorship support to emerging young leaders who are positioned to have an impact on the lives of underserved youth.
The Lasting Impact of Building Data Capacity
CCFC’s data and research across these projects have changed how leaders and stakeholders in Cook County understand their communities and recognize how social determinants of health drive health inequities. CCFC has observed a paradigm shift, with local partner organizations and agencies now viewing their decisions about providing funding, programs, and services through the lens of health equity. This is evident in the progress and investments that have followed CCFC’s work in the western census tract, which mirror the responsiveness of county leaders to CCFC’s research about residents’ needs resulting from the pandemic.
Each of these individual projects produced new partnerships and investments aimed at addressing health inequities in the county. Taken together, these three projects helped create a stronger practice of using data to direct resources to residents’ needs and a sea change in how health equity is understood locally. One consideration for funders interested in helping build data capacity and reduce health disparities is the importance of flexible funding. CCFC shared that having access to flexible funding that they could tailor to communities’ local conditions had an outsize positive impact on their work. As a result, CCFC is well positioned to continue their work in using data to drive local change.
Cook County Family Connection was awarded grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, through three competitive grant programs coordinated by the Urban Institute: Visualizing and Powering Healthy Lives (2019), Data for COVID-19 Response and Recovery (2020) and Using Local Data to Address Structural Racism (2022).
