NORWALK, CT — On Wednesday, the Norwalk Health Department launched its new Community Health and Wellbeing Profile, a publicly available online dashboard compiling and visualizing key Norwalk health data.
According to a news release provided by the city, the interactive profile is available at www.norwalkct.gov/healthdata.
The health department invites partners and residents to use the profile to better understand Norwalk's health needs and strengths, inform grant applications, spark conversation and collaboration and guide community health improvement work, according to city officials.
"The Community Health and Wellbeing Profile is a 'living' hub tailored for our Norwalk residents, partners, non-profits, businesses, etc. and compiles Norwalk-centric health and wellbeing data/analyses to identify, characterize, and monitor trends within our community," Brian Weeks, Program Director of Epidemiology and Informatics, said in a news release. "This is just the start—we will continue to append and update this resource to maximize its utility for all interested over the coming months."
In this first iteration, the Community Health and Wellbeing Profile includes three informative data sources: the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey and Index, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)/PLACES, and the CDC/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Details about these valuable data sources can be found on the dashboard, according to city officials.
This Norwalk-specific health information can be broken down and viewed in different ways. For example, DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey data is presented with details about demographic characteristics such as age, race/ethnicity, income level, education, and other categories, city officials said.
BRFSS and SVI data are available at the neighborhood level, mapping different health measures and social factors at each of the 22 Norwalk neighborhoods, according to city officials.
In addition, the profile page includes links to other data sources and reports from Nuvance/Norwalk Hospital, DataHaven, and others.
The page also includes links to resources for community services through 211 and the Norwalk Community Resource Hub. The health department is grateful to these community partners for the valuable information and services they provide to the community, city officials said.
"This profile and so much of the work of the Epidemiology and Informatics Division helps us ensure our work is driven by data," Director of Health Deanna D'Amore said in a news release. "We're excited to share this work with our partners and community, so we can work together to improve community health and address health equity."
More information is available at www.norwalkhealth.com.
