Whatcom County launches health data platform

On July 16, Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS) launched a new health data platform called the Whatcom County Health Insights (WCHI). The platform provides the public with comprehensive data about the health of Whatcom County residents, to improve health equity and understanding of residents’ access to healthcare.

“The purpose of the WCHI is to make data easily accessible, assist in understanding the community’s health and well-being, identify health challenges and disparities, and support public health leaders, community organizations, and members in our efforts to improve health outcomes,” WCHCS director Erika Lautenbach wrote in a statement.

The platform includes broad data categories that examine determinants such as social, economic, quality of life, access to healthcare and physical environment factors.

For instance, under the healthcare section, the emergency department visits dashboard in 2023 reported that four percent of visits, or 3,080 visits, were due to asthma.

The platform offers over 100 population health indicators with data from more than 20 sources. “In future phases of the WCHI, we hope to include indicators by geography, sexual orientation, disability, quality of healthcare, the built environment, and the justice system,” Marie Duckworth, public information officer at WCHCS, wrote in an email to The Northern Light. 

To learn more about the WCHI, visit the data platform at bit.ly/46kmFxL.