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NNIP PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit Institutional Setting As part of Public Health - Seattle & King County, the Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit's (EPE) primary role is to provide leadership and scientifically sound technical assistance for population-level community health assessment, data-driven program planning and program evaluation. Community assessment is funded through city, county, and state support as well as grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health and private foundations. EPE analyzes local data, often on a neighborhood level, to respond to the needs of community groups, academics, the health department and other public agencies, and the public. This includes quantitative data (e.g., statistical analyses of birth and death rates) and qualitative data (e.g., themes that emerge from focus groups and key informant interviews). EPE analyzes population-based data collected by others, and collects its own local data when needed. Examples of primary data collection activities include development of local population-based surveys on health care access and behavioral risks. Through its reports and presentations, EPE provides complete coverage of a public health subject in a concise and understandable format. EPE reports are meant to strategically support community action and policy change. Most reports document health disparities by race, poverty level, place of residence, age and gender. Public Health also serves as a major data provider for the public and for the nonprofit community in King County and Seattle, especially through ad hoc requests for data that are made through a telephone hotline and by e-mail. Public Health is developing a King County data warehouse, initially focused on the White Center area. Communities Count Initiative COMMUNITIES COUNT is committed to improving community conditions through information advocacy--providing accurate and timely reports on the conditions that matter to King County families and communities in order to stimulate action. The purpose is to provide a biennial report on the health and well-being of people and communities in King County that identifies both strengths and those areas that need attention. COMMUNITIES COUNT indicators are based on a broad and deep public process through which over 1,500 King County residents described what they like and what concerns them about their neighborhoods. This information was used to create the indicators. Residents and stakeholders called for a regular report to measure progress over time in King County. The first Communities Count report was issued in 2000. COMMUNITIES COUNT 2002: Social and Health Indicators Across King County is the second biennial report on the social health of King County. Special efforts were taken in developing this report to be inclusive of the ethnic and geographic diversity of King County through a regional telephone survey and through focus groups that were conducted in five languages. COMMUNITIES COUNT includes 29 indicators of community well being that are reported in four domains: 1) Basic Needs and Social Well-Being; 2) Positive Development Through Life Stages; 3) Safety and Health; and 4) Community Strength. The indicators include data on crime, perceived neighborhood safety, perceived discrimination, income and income distribution, stress, child care, reading to young children, health insurance coverage and community service, among others. Provided at the county, city and sub-county level, data in the report are obtained from a variety of sources including federal government agencies, local government departments and community focus groups. Sub-region, race/ethnicity, income and education differences are reported. PARTNER BIOGRAPHIES: Sandy Ciske is the Manager of the Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit (EPE) of Public Health - Seattle & King County. EPE's primary role is to provide leadership and technical assistance for population-level community health assessment that incorporates a range of data sources. She has provided leadership in the development and dissemination of the Communities Count Report. The mission of the Communities Count Initiative is to improve community conditions through information advocacy. She is also the co-director of Seattle Partners for Healthy Communities, one of three Urban Research Centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work in partnership with communities to address social determinants of health with diverse urban communities. Ms. Ciske has over 25 years of clinical, research and management experience in diverse urban settings including 18 years in a local public health department. She holds a BSN from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a MN from the University of Washington. David Solet, PhD, is currently the Assistant Chief of Epidemiology in the Planning and Evaluation Unit, Seattle and King County Public Health, where he supervises community health assessment activities, including the development and analysis of population-based surveys on health care access and behavioral risks, and analysis and presentation of data on health outcomes. He was recently awarded the Director's Award from Seattle & King County Public Health. His previous jobs included Assistant Director for Chronic Disease and Health Data at the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services, where he directed the division's activities in chronic disease epidemiology, health promotion, and vital records collection and processing. He was also Director of Research and Evaluation for the Westchester County Health Department. Dr. Solet received his PhD in Industrial Health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, his master's degree in Environmental Health Science from Hunter College School of Health Science, CUNY, New York, and his bachelor's degree in English Writing from City College of New York, CUNY, New York. He has developed and taught training sessions on practical local applications of population-based datasets, epidemiology, and environmental and public health problems. He has authored and co-authored numerous papers, reports and presentations on various public health issues. He belongs to the American Public Health Association and the Washington State Public Health Association. |