Health Equity Explorer

Overview

Health Equity Explorer is a suite of reports designed to give users an understanding of a given community’s health disparities and social determinants of health. The suite currently contains two reports: Disparity Index and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). The reports use all-payer hospital casemix and American Community Survey data to show users disparities in hospital utilization and social determinants by race, ethnicity, gender, clinical condition and geography. Potential use cases for Health Equity Explorer include:

• Evaluate the impact of community health investment
• Inform community health needs assessments (CHNAs)
• Support grant applications
• Identify hotspots for interventions
• Understand statewide trends in disparities

Health Equity Explorer was designed through a collaborative process with input from Local Health Departments, health equity experts and other CRISP users. Support for the development of Health Equity Explorer was provided by the Community Health Resource Commission (CHRC) as part of the Pathways to Health Equity Program, which aims to expand access to affordable, high-quality health care services in the state’s underserved communities; help reduce preventable hospital ED visits; and support the adoption of health information technology in community health resources.

Reports

Disparity Index Report

The report allows users to compare health disparities for a specific health condition across demographics with the ability to focus on county or zip level details. Based on the dimensions and measures selected the report provides information on the number of cases or percentage of the population or age adjusted rates ailing from a specific health condition.

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Report

The report allows users to compare social disparities at county or zip code level for a specific year and measure. The report has an interactive map showing social determinants of health (SDOH) indicators in Maryland, including the economic, social, housing and transportation status of residents across the state. The report displays the definition of each measure at the bottom of the dashboard.