Baltimore County Launches Social Determinants of Health Web Tool
Interactive map displays metrics throughout the County to better understand community needs
TOWSON – Baltimore County announced the launch of its new Social Determinants of Health web tool. The tool – which consolidates data to visualize various health, socioeconomic, environmental, and educational metrics for Baltimore County – builds upon the Olszewski administration’s ongoing priority to promote a healthy Baltimore County while making data accessible and increasing government transparency.
“We are proud to continue our work to make Baltimore County more data driven and accessible, and this tool will help us partner directly with community members to be more accurate and deliberate in the services we provide," said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. "It is critical that we meet our residents where they are to improve access to resources and quality of life in all of our neighborhoods.”
The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) web application was developed by the Baltimore County’s BCSTAT team to provide County departments, community partners, residents, and other stakeholders with valuable information to better understand community needs and guide interventions. SDOH refer to factors that influence a wide range of health and quality-of-life risks and outcomes.
Inspired by the United States Department of Health & Human Services’ Healthy People 2030 initiative, the application categorizes SDOH metrics into five categories:
- Neighborhood
- Health
- Education
- Social & Community
- Economy
Metrics are displayed by census tract and users have the ability to look up any address in Baltimore County to identify in which census tract it is located. The tool will display any available metric, allowing users to observe how it changes throughout the county. Users may also select any census tract to get more detailed information.
This application is the culmination of a comprehensive and collaborative countywide effort, with BCSTAT integrating input from an array of perspectives including subject matter experts within County departments and community leaders.
This latest web tool joins Baltimore County's growing set of resources that provide unprecedented transparency for residents and reflect Olszewski's commitment to a more open and accountable government. Prior efforts include:
- Launching BCSTAT, Baltimore County’s first data-driven performance management program that aims to improve performance, ensure data quality, enhance transparency and increase accountability across government.
- Releasing the Baltimore County Open Budget platform to empower residents to explore the County's budget in an online, easily understood format.
- Expanding Open Budget to include the Open Checkbook tool, which allows users to view County expenditures down to the individual check level.
- Launching a dashboard displaying detailed information about fatal and nonfatal opioid overdose incidents occurring in Baltimore County.
- Creating a dashboard detailing food establishment closures.
- Providing a number of downloadable raw data sets related to numerous government functions and services.
BCSTAT continues to expand the list of metrics available in the tool’s data library. To support tool accessibility, a training video is available on Baltimore County’s YouTube page that offers guidance for new users. |
