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Project Goal
Children’s National Hospital leverages data and geospatial technology to improve child health and advance health equity across Washington, DC. To support this mission, we developed two interactive mapping applications. The Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) Story Map transforms complex health, demographic, and social determinant data into an engaging narrative that helps hospital leaders, community partners, and policymakers identify community needs and prioritize action. The Healthy Housing and Asthma Map integrates clinical asthma data with housing-condition and property-level information to identify multifamily buildings where environmental hazards may contribute to poor asthma outcomes. Together, these applications make data more accessible, actionable, and transparent, enabling stakeholders to better understand community conditions, target resources, and invest in strategies that improve health outcomes for children and families.Business Problem Solved
Children’s National Hospital faced two related challenges: understanding where health needs are greatest and ensuring that data could be used effectively to guide action. Community health information was spread across lengthy reports, datasets, and disparate sources, making it difficult for hospital leaders, community partners, and policymakers to identify priorities and allocate resources. At the same time, addressing pediatric asthma required a more precise understanding of how housing conditions contribute to poor health outcomes and where interventions could have the greatest impact.
To solve these challenges, we developed two geospatial applications. The CHNA Story Map transformed complex health, demographic, and social determinant data into an accessible, interactive experience that helps stakeholders identify disparities, understand community needs, and prioritize investments, with the ultimate goal of helping children thrive.
Technology Implemented
ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, Story Maps, web maps and configurable applications.
Development Team Biography
Gina Dwyer, MPH is the Public Health Data Analyst Lead in the Child Health Data Lab, within Population Health and Community Analytics at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. In this role, she provides data analytics and geospatial analysis to support community engagement, research, and advocacy initiatives focused on improving child health.
Chaya Merrill, DrPH is the Director of the Child Health Data Lab within Population Health and Community Analytics at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. She leads the Data Lab’s efforts to translate data into actionable insights that inform community health assessment, strategic planning, research, and advocacy aimed at improving child health.
Company Overview
Children’s National Hospital is one of the nation’s leading pediatric health systems, recognized for its commitment to excellence in care, advocacy, research, and education to improve the health and well-being of children. Based in Washington, D.C., Children’s National advances this mission through the Child Health Advocacy Institute (CHAI), the nation’s first hospital-based advocacy institute dedicated to achieving health equity through policy, systems change, and community partnerships. To support data-
driven action, Children’s National develops innovative geospatial applications. These tools transform complex health, social, environmental, and demographic data into accessible, interactive resources that help hospital leaders, community organizations, policymakers, and residents understand community needs, identify disparities, and target interventions that improve health outcomes for children and families.
Return on Investment
The CHNA Story Map and Healthy Housing and Asthma Map have significantly increased the accessibility, usability, and impact of community health data across Children’s National Hospital and its partner organizations. By transforming complex datasets into interactive, user-friendly applications, these tools reduce the time and expertise required to identify community needs, health disparities, and priority intervention areas. The CHNA Story Map supports strategic planning, community engagement, grant development, and collaborative decision-making by providing a shared understanding of regional health challenges. The Healthy Housing & Asthma Map enables more targeted deployment of resources by identifying multifamily properties where housing conditions may contribute to poor asthma outcomes.