The COVID19 pandemic has exposed existing health inequalities, particularly among blacks, Latinos and other under represented populations. Using data analytics, the Marion County’s Indiana Department of Health created strategies to address inequalities in COVID19 testing and improve health equity.
COVID19 is easily transmitted between individuals. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) track the spread of COVID19, they are also assessing the likelihood of people being exposed to the disease through community transmission.
To assess the extent of transmission in the community, the CDC is looking at the total number of new cases reported per 100,000 residents in the past seven days and the percentage of positive COVID19 tests reported in the county in the past seven days.
Marion County health officials used a panel created by the Regenstrief Institute, the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE), and other members of the Indiana Pandemic Information Collaborative (IPIC) to identify communities with the highest disease burden.
Using this data, health officials set up test sites in areas easily accessible to community populations to help contain the spread of the virus.
“Given the novel and dynamic nature of the pandemic, we have based resource allocation decisions on assessments of several COVID19 disease trends and statistics rather than pre-defined criteria. It helped us reach the hardest hit, ”said Virginia Caine, director of the Marion District Public Health Office. , MD said in a press release.
“We are working with community partners to identify and address challenges related to COVID testing to improve access.” the associated information campaigns.
“People at higher risk of disease should receive additional resources from local health authorities,” said Brian Dixon, PhD, MPA, Regenstrief Institute and director of public health informatics at Indiana University’s Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.
“The use of surveillance data helps identify which populations are marginalized and guides health officials in choosing those groups. Monitoring the uneven distribution of disease is one way local health authorities can counter the outcomes of systemic racism. “
Caine added,” This intervention would not have been possible without community partnerships. These relationships need to be built and developed, so that interventions like these are successful. “
The results of the Marion County program are featured in the scientific report, Supporting Health Equity Through Data-Driven Decision Making: A Local Health Department Response to COVID19, published in an issue of the American Journal of Public Health Special.
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