Data for DollarsLeveraging data to empower community coalitions

Division of Behavioral HealthBureau of Policy and Quality AssuranceNathan Drashner, Research Analyst

April 6th, 2011

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Background• Idaho SEOW/PATR• Federally funded contract• Began in 2006• Deliverables

• State Profile• Community Profiles• Dissemination Tool

• Prevention Subcommittee

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Process

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Risk Factor Selection Criteria• Communities That Care (CTC) Framework• Risk Factors had to be:

- Collected on a county level- Collected annually- Aggregated to a standardized rate- FY 2008- Potentially comparable nationally

• Arizona, Utah, & Tennessee

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Risk FactorsCommunity Domain• Liquor Sales• Adult Alcohol Arrests• Adult Drug Arrests• Impaired Driving Crashes• Free/Reduced School Lunch• Unemployment

School Domain• Truancies• Suspensions• Bullying

Family Domain Individual Domain• Child Abuse/Neglect• Heavy Drinking• Illicit Drug Use

• Juvenile Alcohol Arrests• Juvenile Drug Arrests• Adolescent Pregnancy

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Project Partners

Dissemination Via The Web

Web-based software is well suited for:• Visualizing large, relational data sets• Extracting meaning from data• Discovering new relationships in data• Empowering decision making in public and

private sectors

Idaho Prevention & Treatment ResearchProject RequirementsVisualizations:

• Color Density (choropleth) Map• Trend Charts (with motion)

Data Importing:•Built-in content management system that allows end-users to easily manage all site content•Instant data import from excel spreadsheet

Extensibility:•House data for every county, for an unlimited # of years and unlimited # of risk factors

When data for multiple risk factors is housed in a relational web-based application, it can be viewed in multiple dimensions:

State-wide Dimension• Compare each county to one another for a given risk factor• Utilizing choropleth maps

County-wide Dimension• Compare risk factors to one another for a given county• Utilizing trending charts

Extract More Meaning From Data

Discover New RelationshipsFully interactive charts, graphs and maps create opportunities for learning that cannot be achieved with static images.

When counties and risk factors are compared to each other in the same visual space, end-users are able to identify new, meaningful patterns that can have a profound impact on decision and policy making.

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Case StudyBeTheParents.org• Awarded STP/DRK Grant

• Limited to alcohol prevention• Youth Oriented

• Needs Assessment

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Needs AssessmentsPast…• Often general (Statewide)• Occasionally purely anecdotal• Disparate literature review

With PATR…• Geo and issue specific• Quantitative + Qualitative = Causation• Central repository for multiple agencies products

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Caveats• Disparate data sets are difficult to align• Reporting timeframes vary greatly• Correlation does not imply causality• Multiple local activities inform the data (DUI

emphasis patrols, revised truancy policy)• Intended to inform discussion and further

investigation at a local level

Live Implementation

patr.idaho.gov

Idaho Prevention & Treatment Research

Empower Decision MakingIdaho has an opportunity to leverage our data by utilizing smart technology to transform it into tangible, actionable information.

Web-based applications represent the next frontier in data dissemination tools as they empower the public and private to learn and make informed decisions.

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Data Voids• Insufficient Data

- Local- National

• Protective Factors are not reflected (programs, services, community supports, etc…)

• Database Cardinality

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Next Steps• National standardization• Indexing• Protective Factors• Annual updates as data becomes available• Dissemination tool (website)