Transforming Community Health: How the Idaho Oregon Community Health Atlas is Enhancing Initiatives
About the Customer
Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative (WICHC) is a partnership of public health agencies, healthcare systems, and community organizations working together to improve health outcomes in Western Idaho and Eastern Oregon, including Central District Health, Southwest District Health, the Saint Alphonsus Health System, the St. Luke’s Health System, United Way of the Treasure Valley, Intermountain Health, and Weiser Memorial Hospital.
The ten counties assessed were Ada, Elmore, Boise, Valley, Adams, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, and Washington. In the past, each organization conducted its own assessment every three years per a federal requirement. Now, WICHC is looking to streamline community health assessments and improve regional coordination by creating a unified data platform that provides consistent, accessible, and actionable health insights — available to anyone, regardless of their data science experience.
The Challenge
Fragmented Assessments: Organizations previously conducted independent community health needs assessments (CHNAs) on different cycles, leading to inconsistent data collection and reporting.
Duplicated Efforts: Lack of coordination resulted in redundant initiatives and an increased burden on community partners — reducing the efficiency and impact of health interventions.
Limited Data Accessibility: Smaller organizations and community members faced barriers in obtaining and using data to align their policy and program investments.
The Solution
WICHC partnered with Metopio to develop the Idaho Oregon Community Health Atlas — a centralized and standardized data hub — to improve collaboration, resource allocation, and community-driven solutions:
Community Data Sharing: Metopio helped WICHC integrate health data from multiple sources and community intelligence into a single, user-friendly platform, ensuring consistency and reducing fragmentation.
Standardized Assessments: The team was able to align all participating organizations on a unified assessment cycle and methodology, improving data comparability — increasing community engagement and organizational decision-making.
Improved Accessibility: WICHC created an intuitive, interactive tool that allowed policymakers, healthcare providers, and community members to easily explore health trends and disparities.
Maximizing Impact: This unprecedented partnership boosted collaboration in the efforts to research and tackle pervasive community issues, avoiding duplicative efforts and leading to more successful outcomes and a greater impact.
Metopio’s Impact
Regional Health Priority Identification: Using the Atlas, stakeholders pinpointed top concerns, including housing stability, behavioral health, and healthcare access across the Greater Treasure Valley region.
Better Informed Policy and Funding: Evidence-based insights helped policymakers and healthcare systems allocate resources effectively to areas of greatest need.
Strengthened Community Engagement: The platform empowered community members to participate in health discussions and advocate for impactful solutions.
What WICHC Says About Metopio
By leveraging Metopio’s analytics tools, WICHC transformed its approach to community health planning. The Idaho Oregon Community Health Atlas now serves as a model for regional collaboration, ensuring data is a driver of meaningful change, not a barrier to action.
““The new collaborative approach for this needs assessment is transformational for our communities. It allowed us to not only pool resources for more robust and efficient data collection but will also guide collaborative action amongst partners working in alignment to address common priority needs. This collective attention will create a significant impact in our communities.””
Is your organization ready to use data to improve community health? Schedule your customized tour of Metopio today!