The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in collaboration with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Public Health Foundation, has recently unveiled a new Website that makes available health data for all 3,082 US counties. The Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI) Project has compiled pre-existing data from a variety of sources (no new data were collected) and created a report for each county. The reports offer data on a variety of topics, among them Population Characteristics, Leading Causes of Death, Vulnerable Populations, Environmental Health, and Access to Care. To access reports, users can either enter a county, or they can search for a county by selecting a state and/or a population range; searches can also be limited to those counties with the highest percentage of non-white or Hispanic inhabitants. Once a county is selected, reports can be downloaded in a viewable or printable form (both .pdf format). In addition, the data can be compared to that of "peer" counties, which share similar demographics. The site provides supplemental material to make the reports more understandable and usable, including a FAQ; a document on data sources, definitions, and notes; and a guide to using the reports. While the CHSI reports were created with public health professionals in mind, because the site is easy to navigate and the reports are readable, anyone with an interest in community health issues should find this a useful resource.
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