Taking Action With Data: Improving Environmental Public Health at the Community Level

Area of Science:

• Environmental public health
• Health data utilization
• Community-based interventions

Background:

• The Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Wisconsin Tracking) provides crucial data on health endpoints and environmental exposures.
• The program aims to facilitate the translation of "data to action" for community-level environmental health improvements.
• Stakeholders include local health departments, tribes, and academic institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To encourage the use of Wisconsin Tracking data by local health departments and tribes.
• To fund and evaluate small-scale projects focused on public health improvements using program data.
• To assess the effectiveness of a minigrants program in promoting data-driven environmental health initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A minigrants program was established, offering up to $10,500 to eight local health departments in Wisconsin.
• Projects were developed and implemented over a 9-month period, requiring the utilization of Wisconsin Tracking data.
• Technical assistance was provided by Wisconsin Tracking staff throughout the project duration.

Main Results:

• Funded communities successfully utilized Wisconsin Tracking data to enhance public health infrastructure.
• Projects led to the establishment of new initiatives, improved emergency response, and strengthened stakeholder communication.
• Significant public health improvements were documented across the participating communities.

Conclusions:

• The minigrants program successfully stimulated the development of small-scale environmental health projects.
• The initiative fostered stronger relationships between local health departments and Wisconsin Tracking.
• Awareness of Wisconsin Tracking data and resources increased, contributing to documented public health advancements statewide.