New Kane website allows for local health data comparisons

Determining how likely it is that your friends and neighbors in Kane County have health insurance, diabetes or even a sexually transmitted disease became a lot easier Wednesday.

Kane County Health Department officials launched a new data-focused website Wednesday that shows how the county rates in a variety of health and demographic data. Educational attainment, proximity to grocery stores and parks and a variety of economic indicators are all included in the searchable and sortable data sets. Some of the info, such as poverty rates, is comparable down to local ZIP codes.

Barb Jeffers, executive director of the health department, said the data will be a constantly updated measure of where the county stands in reaching its goal of being the healthiest in the state.

"It's important that this community embraces this and looks at what we need to do to improve the lives of those who are here," Jeffers said. "This site allows us to look at disparities in our community so we know what exists. In order to get our community healthy it will take all of us."

Monica Silva, chairman of the county board's public health committee, said the website will be key for justifying the need for various grants and program funding requests going forward. It's also the ultimate accountability tool for the county's health department, Silva said.

"What a great show of transparency," she said. "I can't think of any other better example of - here, this is the job that we're doing."

The website pulls together data from state and national resources, including the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and the American Community Survey.

For more information, visit KaneHealthCounts.org