Why is a Geographic Information System (GIS) important for community health organizations?
A GIS is an excellent tool to understand the health of the surrounding neighborhoods. It can be used to find out which risks are highest in those neighborhoods, which is obviously important for outreach planning. It can also be used as a management information system to store all collected data and generate reports. Q: Why is a Geographic Information System (GIS) becoming a necessity for community health organizations? A: One of the Healthy People 2010 objectives (23-3) states Increase the proportion of all major national, State, and local health data systems that use geocoding to promote nationwide use of geographic information systems (GIS) at all levels. Q: Is there a disparity in infant health outcomes, and particularly infant mortality, in our cities? A: Unfortunately yes, many cities in the United States suffer disparities in negative birth outcomes between white and minority populations. In Baton Rouge, the city under investigation in this book, that disparity between white and
