A soon-to-launch tool gives hospitals and clinics real-time data on community health, helping providers prioritize care and apply for funding.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new database system is helping keep healthcare workers in the loop about who needs attention and who gets top priority.
Packed with months of data from healthcare partners, the soon-to-be-launched system will give hospitals and clinics real-time insight on where and how to treat patients.
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The interactive tool can list specific details — such as access to education and economic stability — down to the neighborhood level. Officials said having specifics like this helps healthcare systems better care for the community, especially when applying for state funding.
Katya Wowk, senior social scientist with The Water Institute, said the system will give everyone from the front desk to the operating room a clear, detailed look at health needs across Nueces County.
“Are we targeting our outreach to the right population? Do we need to conduct additional needs assessments in certain populations or neighborhoods?” she said.
The database digs into factors that can block someone’s access to care — such as whether they have a car or their level of education. It goes even deeper, pulling data from national sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from local agencies including the Nueces County–Corpus Christi Health District to track conditions including asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Wowk said the tool can help groups improve their outreach efforts.
“Can we improve our referral process to start to address some of these social and economic needs?” she said.
Dr. Nelly Garcia-Blow with Amistad Community Health Clinic said the tool will help clinics consider more factors than they previously could.
“The hope is that this data will be able to give us more detail on the type of patients and the disease burden that they carry, and that’s something that we currently do not have access to,” she said.
Garcia-Blow said the new data gives clinics what they need to keep up with changing demands, especially as healthcare teams work to fill in gaps.
“We’re outreaching to the multiple communities, but I think in the type of care we’re delivering, it’s not only going to be physicians and nurse practitioners and physician assistants. It’s going to be nurses, it’s going to be nutrition, it’s going to be a whole team approach to be able to take care of our patients,” she said.
Wowk said the program will go online September 30.