Knowledge Center

How to Understand the Wealth-Health Gap in Your Community

Conducting an investigative analysis to understand the wealth-health gap in specific communities requires more than just basic income and health data. It is necessary to consider the various facets of wealth as well as the rates of serious illness and death in specific populations.

4 Questions with Shivonne Laird on Bon Secours Mercy Health’s New Community Health Data Hub

We recently spoke with Shivonne Laird, System Director of Community Health Impact at Bon Secours Mercy Health about the organization’s new Community Health Data Hub. The new public-facing website was designed to help community organizations, residents, and local governments to access data.

Data Modernization Survey Says…

We recently surveyed public health leaders at the NACCHO360 conference about data modernization to see where health departments are in their journey and what challenges are impeding their progress.

Elevating Public Health Practice with a Person-Centered, Data Supported Approach: NACCHO360 and Beyond

After three days in Denver for an exciting NACCHO360 conference, the expression that best sums the discussion is public health must be “person-centered and data supported.” This phrase reflects not only the current state of public health but also where the industry is heading in 2023 and beyond.

Don’t Be a Data Dinosaur and Other Lessons Learned From the Nation’s Leading Epidemiologists

There were more panelists, more research, and more leaders than any one person could fully absorb in the three days of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) conference in Salt Lake City.

Putting Data to Work to Dismantle Structural Racism and Achieve Better Health Outcomes

Communities needed access to data and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) took action by sharing the Chicago Health Atlas with community health leaders like Lucy. This is her story and the power of the Health Atlas as shared by Lucy, CDPH, and the UIC School of Public Health.

CHRISTUS’ Communities of Focus Illuminate The Power of Place-Based Analytics

CHRISTUS Health has shown how focus on place with hyperlocal data improves outcomes and reduces health disparities. Leaders took a unique approach when creating their Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) out of their last CHNA.

How CHRISTUS Health Took Their CHNA from PDF to Action Plan

For CHRISTUS Health, the CHNA is an integral part of their overall mission and health equity strategy. That’s why this year they took a new, more data-driven approach that provided deeper insights into the people and places their ministries serve.

Overcoming Data Lag and Harnessing Hyperlocal Data for Health Equity – Key Takeaways from 2023 Spring Conferences

Recent public health conferences focused on health equity and lessons learned from the pandemic. We engaged in discussions about addressing lags in data releases, getting hyperlocal data, and appreciating the power of place-based analytics.

Working Towards an Equitable Future, Together

3 key actions from Chicago community health leaders at the inaugural CMS Health Equity Conference focused on leveraging the Chicago Health Atlas to empower the FQHC workforce with data.

Looking Forward: Data as the Foundation for Smart Cities

Cutting edge technology, rapid innovation and integrated data are revolutionizing the way governments serve their constituents. Smart city projects are at the forefront, finding more efficient, effective, and secure ways to design and deliver services. 

Building Trauma Resiliency to Address the Impact of Violence in the Community

One of the most poignant parts of our recent conversation with Brenda Battle, System Vice President of Community Health Transformation, and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at University of Chicago Medicine was related to the impact of violence and how it showed up in their CHNA.

Not One-Size Fits All: How Generational Differences Informed UChicago’s CHNA and CHIP

We squeezed a lot of great guidance into our 30-minute session with Brenda Battle, System Vice President of Community Health Transformation, and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at University of Chicago Medicine.

3 Questions with Brenda Battle on Community Health Transformation at University of Chicago Medicine

As a national leader, we didn’t want you to miss Brenda’s insights on how UChicago Medicine views their role as an anchor institution and how that perspective translates into the real work of community health transformation.

The New ABC’s of CHNAs: Insights from CHRISTUS Health

Tackling Public Health Data Modernization to Amplify Impact

Behind-the-Scenes Look at Health Equity and Data in Action

Social Determinants of Health Playbook

3 Strategies to Advance Wealth Equity, Promote Inclusive Growth

Data Empowerment Checklist

Movement on Data Standards to Better Measure Real Lives

At Metopio, we partner with our clients to think about what data is important to address the questions that are most pressing for them and offer insights on how they should think about getting answers to close the knowledge gap. 

Food on the Thanksgiving Table

As with many American holidays, Thanksgiving is typically celebrated by gathering family or friends and sharing in a meal. However, for some families this is a challenge.

Jumpstart Your Data Strategy Around Social Determinants of Health

Health plans play a critical role in ensuring access to healthcare, delivering high-quality care and helping patients achieve optimal outcomes.

How Leaders are Driving Economic Development and Advancing Equity in Communities Now

Building prosperous and resilient communities is not easy work to begin with. And it has become even more challenging given the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and transitions to remote work.

3 Reasons We’re Excited About the Future of Public Health

This year’s National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Conference brought together professionals to reflect on the challenges and possibilities of the public health landscape.

Data Don’ts to Keep You Out of Trouble

Does it feel like data is the road block to progress in your organization? Where is the data? What data are we waiting on? Do we have better data? These questions and frustrations are more than common.

Creating A Prosperity Roadmap

Remember the first time you got the keys to a car? You could hit the open road and explore. At first it was liberating and exciting. But then you needed to figure out where to go and how to get there.

Empowering Communities through Health Equity Zones

Data is in the Chicago Department of Public Health’s DNA. They collect, curate and share valuable data every day to drive deeper insights and empower creative strategies to close the racial life expectancy gap.

Education as a path to success for teen moms

Can we tackle generational poverty by investing in college degree persistence and achievement for young moms? New Moms collaborated with Metopio to explore this question for National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month.

Black Maternal Health Week

Bringing a new life into the world should be a safe and joyful experience for all. Can data help make that possible?

Is transportation a barrier to good health?

Maybe you have an hour commute to work. The nearest grocery store is two neighborhoods away. Your chemotherapy appointments at the hospital are every day at 8 am next week across town.

First look at pandemic impacts with 2016-2020 ACS data

When was the last time you had 213 topics from the American Community Survey (ACS) at your fingertips in three business days?

What can crime data really tell us?

A safe neighborhood allows us to walk to school, exercise, visit with neighbors and simply get outside. These all impact our health and mental well-being.

Choose the right visualization to tell your story

Before you choose what visualization you want to use, get to know your data better, the story behind it, and always keep your target audience in mind.

What to consider in the 2020 Census data

Every ten years since 1790, the government has collected data as required by the Constitution. The very first one consisted of only six questions of 3.9 million people and was used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives.

Where are the jobs located?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a dataset called LODES – the “LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics” – which shows the locations of jobs and workers in each of twenty main industry sectors across the country.

Can we tackle health and economic disparities through literacy?

Yes. The benefits of being able to read and comprehend math impact health, well-being and the economy. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 130 million Americans struggle to read a basic sentence.

How does oral health relate to chronic disease?

A growing body of evidence has linked oral health, particularly periodontal or gum disease, to several chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Simply put it is sparse, uneven and detached from typical physical indicators we use to measure health.  There are many reasons for this, including the stigma that has long been attached to any suggestion of mental deficiency.

Impact of Air Pollution on Diverse Communities

We are constantly updating Metopio’s curated data sets to offer opportunities to understand how the places and populations you care about are impacted. This analysis tackles air quality.

COVID-19 Insight: The changing landscape of data

The pandemic brought to light the team of players necessary to make public health work. Unfortunately, the infrastructure to support that team is fractured – and data collection demonstrates this perfectly.

COVID-19 Insight: Who benefits from a phased approach to vaccines?

The Biden Administration has set a goal of 100 million vaccines in the first 100 days. Individual states have set up programs to administer the vaccines, and each state’s program is different.

New American Community Survey Data is Available

The American Community Survey (ACS) data just released for 2019 is now in Metopio. This means we now offer 15 years of ACS data on most of our curated ACS topics so you can see how things have changed over time.

Is Housing Affordability a Health Barometer?

What happens if you have to work 95 hours a week at minimum wage to afford a place to live? Even before COVID-19, housing affordability was a challenge.

COVID-19 Insight: Working with imperfect and incomplete data

After nearly eight months of regularly updating cases, case rates, testing rates, positive tests and case fatality rates, we wanted to assess where there are gaps and share how you should think about them.

How does public transportation ridership relate to COVID-19 cases?

Many Chicagoans use public transportation to get them to and from work. Could increased time on buses and trains have predictive value?

New CDC Data: Infectious Diseases

Over a dozen new infectious disease topics from 2000-2018 help you explore their correlation to COVID and more.

Is your COVID-19 risk higher where air quality is bad?

Harvard University identified a connection between the COVID-19 death rate and air quality. What other respiratory factors should be considered?

COVID-19 Insight: Why rates matter

COVID-19 data has a lot of noise. There are many variations on how the data is reported across jurisdictions with respect to the number of cases, deaths and tests.

UIC School of Public Health’s Social Vulnerability Index

Using the CDC and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index as a baseline, the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health dives deeper.

UIC School of Public Health’s Risk Factor Score

Thoughtful data analysis to help understand COVID-19 health risk in Illinois communities development by the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

Can we predict where the pandemic will spread next?

By automating data discovery, find similarities between places can help identify patterns that might not be readily apparent.