The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced the launch of its Community Health Equity Survey on Monday.
The survey asks participants questions about topics such as transportation, mental health, housing and experience with healthcare. You can take the survey online. In early fall, the state will analyze the results to figure out where healthcare resources are most needed. The results will also be available to the public and community organizations.
The department ran the survey last year with more of a focus on COVID-19. This year, DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said the department is putting greater emphasis on reaching out to people from communities that have historically experienced health inequities, such as people of color, immigrants and those with disabilities.
The state worked with 31 members of the Community Engagement Advisory Committee, made up of community health and advocacy organizations, to develop the survey and to reach a variety of communities.
“We are going back to those groups, with the survey, in 10 different languages, asking for them to distribute it to their community members, their partners, to try to get it into the right hands so we can get the answers to all these questions,” Goldstein said.
Tara Agrawal, director of community investment at Boston Children’s Hospital’s office of community health, said the survey is a great way for the state to “zero in” on inequities and community needs.
Agrawal said in helping to develop the survey, Boston Children’s was able to share their views on issues facing children and youth, and bring forward the perspectives of their community partners.
“We were really pleased with the opportunity to learn from other folks who are on the committee,” she said. “I think there was good representation of grassroots and folks with experience helping to really inform and shape the survey.”
Last year’s survey received over 30,000 responses. Goldstein said the department is trying to figure out how to keep engagement up this year.
“We would love to see these previously unheard from populations continue to be heard from in this survey,” he said.