After I had the opportunity to write this post on the Robert Wood Johnson Pioneering Ideas blog (see: Pioneering Idea: Your Patient’s Community Health Needs Assessment on the Desktop – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), I learned courtesy of the Environmental Stewardship workgroup that I serve on at Kasier Permanente that one of the indicators in the main indicator library is Poor Air Quality, reported at the level of the census tract. I ran that map in a few clicks for the east coast.
It’s a great addition to the main indicator library, especially since it’s known that an unhealthy environment disproportionately affects those with greater health inequalities. It’s a reason why this whitepaper, How doctors can close the gap | Royal College of Physicians, has such a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship.
And speaking of environmental stewardship in health care, here’s a list of resources to access to learn and participate more, also courtesy of the Environmental Stewardship workgroup. Prevention is the new HIT. Enjoy.
Green Health Care Resources