Action-Centered Data and Tools: County Health Rankings

Since 2010, the County Health Ranking & Roadmaps, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, have become an increasingly valuable tool for public health professionals and other community leaders with an interest in creating healthy communities. Ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings illustrate what we know when it comes to what’s making people sick or healthy. The County Health Roadmaps show what we can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play. Based on data available for each county, the Rankings are unique in their ability to measure the overall health of each county in all 50 states on the many factors that influence health, and they have been used to garner support among government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, business leaders, policymakers, and the public for local health improvement initiatives. In conjunction with the 5^th anniversary of the first annual release of the Rankings, a number of new tools and features have been added to the site. The goal of this presentation is to introduce participants to the “Guide to Using the Rankings Data”, the “Areas to Explore” feature, and the “Guide to Measuring Progress”. These tools are designed to help community leaders move from data to action. The tools will be introduced using the perspective of a public health professional seeking to work with other partners in the community to assess and prioritize opportunities for health improvement.