Where’s the health data?

KCHealthMatters.org compiles health data from communities so you can do less online searching for grant proposals and more service work.

The Disparities Dashboard can highlight differences in age, race and gender, giving you a good idea of where the most need is in your community.

Download charts and data conveniently in the file format of your preference.

Use this feature to help you conduct your community health needs assessment and develop an implementation strategy. Within each section you will find valuable tools as well as hand-selected resources to help your efforts.

The SocioNeeds Index show that zip code truly does impact health. It also pinpoints the specific communities that need more help than others.


HCF funds over 200 organizations each year ranging from grassroots organizations to large health systems and universities. Though different in size and scope, they are all working to improve health in their community.

But how can we determine the areas that have improved and just as importantly, the areas of health that have yet to be addressed?

Four years ago, HCF developed a tool to help track changes in health and thus answer these questions. That tool, KCHealthMatters.org, is a partnership between HCF, the Healthy Communities Institute and the Kansas Health Institute. It aims to help our grant applicants (and other interested parties) access health data and county-level data in a compelling way.

Despite the fact that it is only four years in existence, KCHealthMatters.org has undergone some big changes that add up to a better experience for users, including the use of more and better graphics. This has reduced clutter and added clarity to the data.  

The lists below highlight of some of the new additions to the site and improvements to existing features.

New features:

  • The SocioNeeds Index is a simple way to identify those living in the highest-risk zip codes and who can benefit most from supportive health and social programs.
  • The Community Health Needs Assessment Guide is an interactive online tool to help health planners identify and assess the at-risk populations they serve.
  • And, the community dashboards and indicator pages have undergone enhancements that simplified data access, assessment, evaluation, and sharing — even for those with little technical expertise. With these improvements, tracking changes in community health is more intuitive.

Improvement in existing features:

  • Ability to download and integrate simple and attractive charts and graphs that include indicator data and comparison icons into presentations, grant submissions, and reports.
  • Quickly scan updated comparison icons, explained in a scrolling legend, which illustrate how a community indicator value compares to a distribution, a target value, a single value, or a prior value.
  • Build a dashboard tool and the indicator page to present comparisons one at a time or side-by-side for added context.
  • Build a dashboard or search for an indicator or location from the community dashboard landing page to customize your search.
  • Filter searches by location, topic, age group, classification, comparison or sub-group.
  • Map counties, zip codes, and census tracts within your service area to quickly pinpoint disparities and analyze positive or negative trends.
  • Use breakout gender, age, and race/ethnicity charts to analyze indicator disparities.

We view this website as an important resource by providing our grantees with data and tracking methods in one site, which ultimately means less online searching and more service work. Because, as the name says: KC Health Matters.

Editor’s note: we offer brief video tutorials on how to use this site. Please visit KCHealthMatters.org to learn more.

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HCF's Local Health Buzz Blog aims to discuss health and health policy issues that impact the uninsured and underserved in our service area. To submit a blog, please contact HCF Communications Officers, Jennifer Sykes, at .

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