Behind-The-Scenes Sneak Peak with Bridget Booske Catlin

Leading up to the launch of the 2012 County Health Rankings on April 3, NewPublicHealth.org will be running a series of posts and Q&As to explore what’s new for the Rankings and how local communities are using them. Below is an excerpt from the first Q&A of the series with Bridget Booske Catlin, PhD, MHSA, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Director. 

NewPublicHealth: What will be new this year when the County Health Rankings are released?

Bridget Booske Catlin: There will be several new and exciting additions for this year’s launch. We will be showcasing a brand new interactive mapping feature that will make access to the Rankings data much easier. We have also added a couple of new features. However, the most exciting aspect of this year’s launch is the introduction of our new project in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: the County Health Roadmaps project, which includes several elements: grants to local coalitions; partnerships among policymakers, business, education, public health, health care and community organizations; grants to national organizations working to improve health; recognition of communities whose promising efforts have led to better health; and customized technical assistance on strategies to improve health.

NPH: What are you working on to engage communities in improving their rankings?

Bridget Booske Catlin: The County Health Roadmaps project is designed to help communities move from the Rankings data to action to improve health in communities across the nation. One component of the new Roadmaps project is the Roadmaps to Health Community Grants. In October 2011, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced grants to twelve communities to support work in implementing policies to address social and economic factors, one of the key factors in the County Health Rankings model.

• Read the full Q&A via NewPublicHealth.