Lisa Cumings, the leader in the Pioneering Healthy Communities program, has worked as the community health liaison for Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb since August 2010.
The PHC group received a $12,000 grant last summer through Kishwaukee Community Hospital and the Kishwaukee YMCA that allowed them to travel to Washington, D.C., and be trained on how to collect and study data pertaining to the health of the community.
The group conducted a walkability study of schools in DeKalb and Sycamore. They also performed GIS mapping to show poverty levels in the area, the percentage of obesity in DeKalb County, the location of local farmer’s markets, and the grocery stores that accept food vouchers.
Source: CourierNews
JinGu Lee, Vertices, research intern, gis@vertices.com
GIS Use in Public Health & Healthcare 