1. Using Publicly Available Data for Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning: A Public Health Approach to Addressing Substance Abuse and Health Disparities in Connecticut
Connecticut Public health association ANNUAL conference
Monday, October 30, 2017
The Aquaturf club, PlaNTSville, CT

2. Presenters
Jennifer Sussman, BA, MFA, UCONN Health Coordinator, DMHAS Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics (CPES) Michelle Riordan-Nold, MPP Director, Executive Director, Connecticut Data Collaborative Tyler Kleykamp, Office of Policy and Management Chief Data Officer, State of Connecticut Open Data Initiative

3. Learning Objectives Participants will:
Explore substance abuse as a public health issue, and how to use publicly available data to identify populations at greater risk of health disparities;
Gain familiarity with publicly available data resources, including the State’s Open Data Portal, the Connecticut Data Collaborative website, the DMHAS Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics (CPES), and the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW);
Learn about the challenges and limitations of compiling, sharing, and linking public health data, and the benefits of doing so for various constituencies and consumers.

4. How can public health data be used in addressing substance abuse?
Substance Abuse Data
Measure the scope of the problem
Assess magnitude, severity and impact
Prioritize problems and risk factors
Identify subpopulations
Increase awareness, buy-in, and commitment
Measure success/demonstrate value
Sustain efforts (secure funding, etc.)
Public Health Data
Locate where the problem is most evident or likely to occur
Explore characteristics of at-risk groups (subpopulations)
Hone in on shared risk factors for substance abuse
Identify and address health disparities (individual, community)
Assess community needs and resources, and access issues
Target efforts and resources where they are most needed

5. Subpopulations and Health Disparities Indicators
Population characteristics
Poverty rate / community economics
Unemployment rate
Crime rate
Community spending (education, health)
Data on public health issues (obesity, disease, child maltreatment, etc.)
Housing stability
Food security
Community livability and equity
Community connectedness
Availability of services
Access to services
Availability of transportation

6. Sources of Public Health Data
CT Open Data Portal
CT Data Collaborative
State Department of Education data (EdSight) in.do
Department of Labor
aus/laustown.asp
CT Crash Data Repository
CT Crime Data: Unified Crime Report
ucr.aspx
CT Census Data: CT State Data Center
connecticut_census_data/
Connecticut Economic Resource Center

7. New Britain, Norwalk, and Norwich experienced a decline in number of teen births

8. 2015 Violent Crime (Rate per 100,000)
1,109
365
334
944
272
Dataset on ctdata.org: UCR Crime Index

9. 3 Towns experiencing lower unemployment rates but the rates in two towns (New Britain and Norwich) are consistently higher than the state average
Dataset on ctdata.org: Labor Force

10. Residential Mobility can be an indicator of housing instability

11. Percent of Assisted Housing Units in 2016
Hartford
38%
Windham
30%
New Britain
18%
Norwich
19%
New Haven
30%
Norwalk
13%
Dataset on ctdata.org: Subsidized Housing by Type
Source: CT Department of Housing
Assisted includes: CHFA/USDA Mortgages, Deed restrictions, tenant rental assistance, and government assisted

12. Opioid Related DMHAS Treatment Admissions
Data Source:

13. DMHAS Treatment Admissions by Substance & Year
New Britain
DMHAS Treatment Admissions by Substance & Year
Norwalk
Norwich
Data Source:

14. Bus Stop Density and Pharmacies that Dispense Naloxone
Data Sources:
Bus Stops:
Pharmacies:

15. Fire and EMS Data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System
Data Source:

16. What are the challenges of working with publicly available data?
Suppression of data (small numbers)
Rates provided but not numerators and denominators (population rates, etc.)
Disaggregation's not provided or collected (race, gender, age)
Some data may not encompass the entire population – Treatment data only reflects those admitted to State supported programs
Consistent time frames – State data may be collected by Fiscal Year (July-June) rather than Calendar year
Lack of standardized race/ethnicity categories
Errors in data
Data isn’t the story. You use data to help tell the story.
–Brian Fanzo

17. Contact Us Jennifer Sussman Michelle Riordan-Nold Tyler Kleykamp
Coordinator, Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics (CPES)
UConn Health
Phone: (860)
Michelle Riordan-Nold
Executive Director, Connecticut Data Collaborative
Phone: (860)
Tyler Kleykamp
Chief Data Officer, State of Connecticut Office of Policy & Management
Phone:(860)