Balancing resources and needs: Using GIS to create asset maps of essential resources for Healthy Start participants in St. Louis, MO

Background: Resource inventories and needs assessments are traditional tools for aiding in community development. These approaches provide essential information necessary for designing effective community health and social programs; however, they are sometimes at odds with one another. In recent years, asset mapping has emerged as a new tool which eliminates this dichotomy. Asset mapping allows one to simultaneously assess both community resources and needs, and as such, can provide more information than resource inventories or needs assessments alone.Methods: Between August 2007 to November 2007, evaluators created a resource inventory for the St. Louis, MO Healthy Start area. Inventory data were geocoded and ArcGis 9.2 software was used to create several asset maps. Transit lines with quarter-mile and half-mile buffers were added to these maps to provide information regarding resource accessibility. Visual analysis was used to look for resource patterns and issues of access. Results: Analysis of the maps revealed several daycares, grocery stores, food pantries, thrift stores, WIC centers and Health Centers in the Healthy Start areas, but limited access to chain grocery stores, after-hours health clinics, mental health resources and homeless shelters. In addition, analysis of the transit lines showed extensive bus service within the Healthy Start Areas, but insufficient bus access to south St. Louis City and west St. Louis County. Moreover, there was insufficient access to the MetroLink light rail system.Conclusions: Asset mapping of the St. Louis, MO Healthy Start areas revealed several community strengths and community needs.