AIMS to Partner with JoCo Health Department to Increase GIS Capacity for Chronic Disease Surveillance

As a part of the GIS Surveillance Project, AIMS will be supporting the Johnson County Health Department to increase awareness and use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software, data and analysis. The overall goal of the project, which is funded by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, is to enhance the ability of local health department's to implement the use of GIS in daily operations for the prevention of heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases. 

This will enable the Johnson County Health Department to make use of GIS to address the four core domains of a coordinated approach to prevent chronic diseases and promote population health:

1. Epidemiology and surveillance
2. Evidence-based practice and environmental approaches
3. Health systems interventions - clinical preventive services, and
4. Community-clinical linkages.

The Health Department will apply GIS processes and techniques to assist in these four areas:

1. Document the burden of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases.
2. Build and strengthen partnerships.
3. Inform and guide policy and program decisions.
4. Facilitate integration and collaboration within and between state and local health departments, with a focus on chronic disease prevention and treatment.

To ensure success of this initiative, AIMS will be a part of an Extended GIS Team to support and provide guidance to the Core GIS Team members at the Health Department. Overall, this enhanced capacity provides the Johnson County Health Department with a powerful set of tools to efficiently improve the health of the Johnson County populace, and AIMS is looking forward to assisting with this effort. To provide you with a better idea of what is possible through this project, here is a link to the CDC Chronic Disease GIS Exchange Map Gallery.


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The AIMS Team