Community Health Scorecard

This year, I was fortunate to participate in a project to develop a population-level community health and quality of life scorecard for the Tampa Bay region. The goal of the health scorecard was to produce a status of our community’s well-being in a variety of areas, such infant mortality, mammogram screenings, average commute to work and violent crime rates. No such community health report yet existed for the Tampa Bay region.

The scorecard was coordinated by Tampa Bay Partnership (TBP), a non-profit economic development organization that represents eight area counties including Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota. The compilation of community health scores will act as a call to action for future region-based community health efforts. The scores provide a benchmark for various parties – employers, health departments, academics –  to set goals and collaborate to accomplish improvements. Also, Tampa Bay area legislative delegation - those state senators and representatives who comprise 25% of the Florida Legislature - are an important audience for the scorecard.

A Health Data Subcommittee developed a list of 75 indicators that were divided into five categories including Health Status/Outcomes, Environmental/Infrastructure/Transportation, Health Related Behaviors, and Health Systems/Access to Healthcare. My main function was to collect the data through secondary data sources including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, etc.

Yesterday, I participated in a Healthy Communities visioning exercise with the TBP. The purpose was to develop the actions necessary to respond to deficiencies identified in the health scorecard. This is probably the most difficult task associated with health scorecards, according to researchers Fielding, J.E. Sutherland, C.E., Halfon, N. (1999). These visioning activities brought together various health leaders in the region to discuss the report and prioritize actions. The first of many steps, this meeting provided the groundwork for future projects aimed at improving the health of our community.

This project has been a real pleasure. If you are interested in the process, let me know, and I will put you in touch with the TBP leadership.