Think Kids and the West Virginia Prevention Research Center (WVPRC) were awarded a two-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in support of a research collaboration to assess how West Virginia compiles and reports health surveillance data in order to build a more inclusive surveillance system.
The project, “When All Are Counted: Closing the Health Surveillance Gap in West Virginia,” is funded under RWJF’s Community Research for Health Equity program managed by AcademyHealth that seeks to elevate community voices and make the priorities of communities the primary goal of local health system transformation efforts.
The project seeks to examine how data are collected and shared, how marginalized groups are adversely affected, and structural solutions for a more representative system. The team will conduct surveys, interviews, and focus groups to study variables for minority populations, disaggregated race, disability categories, and how minority populations are aggregated. The team will also examine how other states use small populations methodologies, and how data are reported and translated into policies and practices.
Unique to the project is a creative communications component. Three writers will join the project to articulate and amplify the prevailing themes expressed during the research process in the public discourse, online, and on social media. Look for the tag line “writing for the When All Are Counted Project” from them as the project progresses.