Larimer County Selected as Pilot Community for the Colorado Equity Compass Collaborative

By Katie O’Donnell

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Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, in partnership with local partners, has been selected as a pilot community for the Colorado Equity Compass Collaborative. Partners involved in this pilot project are Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, Larimer County Workforce and Economic Development, Larimer County Department of Human Services, Larimer County Behavioral Health, Larimer County Information Technology, La Family/The Family Center, City of Fort Collins, Health District of Northern Larimer County, United Way of Larimer County, and the Bohemian Foundation.

“This is a great opportunity for organizations to work together to creatively collect data and use it to make decisions that help prevent health problems before they start. We are all facing similar barriers when it comes to data and we hope this will provide us a tool to change the way we collect and use data,” says Kelsey Lyon, Public Health Planning and Partnership Supervisor for the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. 

The Colorado Equity Compass Collaborative is developing a web-based open data platform of community-level health equity indicators that brings to life the experiences of Colorado residents in communities experiencing inequities. This platform, referred to as the Colorado Equity Compass (CEC), also provides compelling data describing those experiences and shares stories of progress that can inspire change.

The Collaborative will pilot the development of the CEC platform in four communities across Colorado over the next 18 months.  Pilot communities will receive technical assistance in understanding and implementing concepts for understanding on understanding how our environment and social relationships impact health. Kick-off meetings with each site will begin this fall. 

“United Way of Larimer County is honored to participate in the Colorado Equity Compass Collaborative’s Technical Assistance program, alongside nine other regional organizations. As Larimer County expands, under represented population’s needs are likely to escalate due to disparities between local cost of living and wages. Tracking their experience, and finding gaps, helps organizations like United Way make strategic investments to strengthen our whole community,” says Claire Bouchard, VP of Community Impact and Engagement at United Way of Larimer County.