KaneHealthCounts.org, is a data-sharing site that launched courtesy of the Kane County Health Department.

The Kane County Health Department has launched a new web site for tracking and sharing local health data.

The site, KaneHealthCounts.org, is a data-sharing site that launched courtesy of the Kane County Health Department.

The site allows residents to find health data, resources and track and compare Kane County to other counties, and promises to be a boon not only to residents, but students, researches and Kane County healthcare professionals.

“Users can look up their communities — often being able to drill down to their zip code — and find meaningful statistics related to health,” said Barbara Jeffers, executive director of the Kane County Health Department. “You will be able to see for yourself the many ways the information can be used to compare your health with the community in which you live, as well as the communities in the region.”

The new website serves as a storehouse of health data, demographic information, resources, best practices and reports that provide an unbiased look at life in Kane County.

“Because we know that where we live has a direct effect on our health, this type of information is crucial,” Jeffers said in a press release. “It dictates the ability to find healthy food (grocery stores and farmer’s markets) and opportunities for physical activity (walkable neighborhoods and parks). The physical environment plays a part in the air we breathe and the water we drink. The information concerning these factors and much, much more will be available on the new website.”

The best way to get familiar with the site, of course, is to visit it.

Want to know how many Kane County adults are covered by health insurance? It’s 84.8 percent. And you can break down the information by zip code, by demographics and by other factors that could be of more than passing interest to you and your family. An example is posted below.

Medical costs in the United States are extremely high, so people without health insurance may not be able to afford medical treatment or prescription drugs. They are also less likely to get routine checkups and screenings, so if they do become ill they will not seek treatment until the condition is more advanced and therefore more difficult and costly to treat. Many small businesses are unable to offer health insurance to employees due to rising health insurance premiums.

The Healthy People 2020 national health target is to increase the proportion of people with health insurance to 100 percent.

It has a wide variety of data that you can look up. Just a few examples of the numerous indicators are access to health services, heart disease, employment, educational attainment, air quality, transportation, and numerous others. Some of this data can be drilled down to zip code level as well. Each indicator you click on contains information on the measure, related measures, and an interactive map.

There are numerous dashboards on the site such as a disparities dashboard, a demographics page, a Health People 2020 progress tracker, and a SocioNeeds Index.

— New Kane County web site tracks and shares local health data —