Oakland, Maryland: It’s Officially on the Map

By Shelley Argabrite, MA, Director of Population Health, Innovation, & Informatics, County Health Strategist, & Accreditation Coordinator

As Western Maryland’s “Great Small Town,” Oakland, Maryland, now has access to a new national tool to further improve its public health outcomes. Following a competitive application process, Oakland has been chosen for inclusion in a prominent national data resource, City Health Dashboard, to expand ongoing data collection and assessment efforts related to public health, social determinants of health, and health equity. This data will be used to improve current and emerging public health programs and systems under the Garrett County Health Department’s commitment to turning data into action. This is a groundbreaking moment as it marks the first time the City Dashboard has opened its doors to cities with smaller populations, highlighting the importance of local data in improving health. 

John Corbin, Communications, Data Science, and Informatics Administrator, Health Equity/Minority Health Coordinator, and Public Information Officer within the Population Health, Innovation, & Informatics Unit at the Garrett County Health Department, NNPHI Strategic Scholar, and a student in the Rural Health Innovation Master of Public Health Program at the University of California, Berkeley, supported by the Barr-Campbell Family Foundation, submitted a compelling application demonstrating the importance of having local data for community health improvement processes.

Oakland has unlocked a wealth of health and social determinant data as a selected city, with over 25 measures now available at https://www.cityhealthdashboard.com/MD/Oakland. 

In response to this new resource, Jennifer Hare, Garrett County Health Department Interim Health Officer, said, “This achievement, spearheaded by John Corbin’s successful application for the 2024 Put Us on the Map Challenge, is a game-changer for our data capabilities. Free access to localized data, including impactful metrics surrounding social determinants of health and in-kind technical support from the City Health Dashboard team, is a significant win for Garrett County.”

One of the ways the Garrett County Health Department will utilize the data immediately is to inform our Community Health Needs Assessment, which is currently underway. The Population Health, Innovation, & Informatics Unit champions this effort and partners with the Local Behavioral Health Authority / Local Management Board, Garrett County Community Action, Garrett Regional Medical Center (WVU Medicine), and Mountain Laurel Medical Center. This effort will aid multiple agencies and organizations in determining the most critical community needs by hearing directly from our stakeholders and is further balanced by a comprehensive data and literature review. To view previous Community Health Needs Assessments or to get more involved in conversations about the health of our community, visit MyGarrettCounty.com.

For questions about Garrett County’s newest public health data resource, please contact John Corbin, Communications, Data Science, and Informatics Administrator, Health Equity/Minority Health Coordinator, and Public Information Officer at [email protected].