New data tool will ensure that the needy in Orange County get help

Last week, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Supervisor Andrew Do’s contract proposal with Advance OC to develop a data mapping tool that will help address Orange County’s health and social gaps.

“The unprecedented nature of this pandemic has left many cities unprepared for the profound change in the needs of their communities,” said Supervisor Andrew Do, Vice Chairman on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

“This new mapping tool will help direct Orange County’s response to the health and social welfare disparities that have made minority groups disproportionately susceptible to the ravages of the COVID-19 public health threat,” Do added.

In May, Supervisor Do co-spearheaded the Latino Health Equity Initiative alongside Supervisor Doug Chaffee, to ramp up effective measures in communities identified as “hot spots,” the majority of which are Latino communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 based on their jobs, living situations, and underlying health issues.

During the next five months, Advance OC will collect Orange County-centric data from the 2010 Census to create a Social Progress Imperative (SPI) Equity Map.

The equity map, which builds upon the momentum of the county’s System of Care Data Integration Project that was introduced by Supervisor Do last year, will graphically illustrate the social progress (or lack of progress) of a community. This tool will help determine each community’s targeted needs to gage in public and private efforts.

“This is a step in the right direction,” said Supervisor Do, who recently launched the #MaskUpOC educational campaign to harness the creative talents and civic engagement of Orange County residents to better communicate the County’s public health COVID-19 information. “Tools like these will provide actionable benchmarks for the Orange County Health Care Agency to use in directing public health efforts.”