The United Way of Delaware and Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative join Delaware’s Division of Public Health to launch the Equity Counts Data Center.
The data center is on DPH’s My Healthy Community Dashboard and looks to provide timely, quality data about inequities across the state. The data is based on determinants such as education, health, criminal justice, and wealth creation, and can be evaluated at a zip-code level.
Dr. Gwen Angalet is a health prevention expert working with the DRJC. She says the social determinants of health affect every aspect of one’s life, and provide a framework for understanding inequities.
“The children that are born in Hockessin in zip code 19707 may have different outcomes than those children born in wilmington zip code 19801. The Equity Counts Data Center on the My Healthy Community platform helps to tell that story of those children using Delaware-specific zip code data. It helps us uncover the equity gaps that exist on a more granular level,” said Angalet.
The database was created after state and community partners identified the need for an accessible, user-friendly data platform that brings together local information to combat inequity.
One way this new tool does that is by helping community organizations, like Children and Families First, pinpoint areas that need more attention, such as those with high low-income rates, or low rates of preventative healthcare screenings.
Children and Families First CEO Kirsten Olson says there’s no such thing as too much data.
“We want to offer services that we know work for children and families, and we also want to get the right services to the right folks at the right time, and in the right place. And in order for us to do that we have to understand the people and communities we serve,” said Olsen.
The state can also utilize the database to address statewide inequities, such as the 17.21% child poverty rate.
The database collects data from a variety of sources, all of which are listed next to each data point. Data will be updated regularly as data sources are updated.