I came across this video about health care in Sarasota County. It tells the story of the uninsured in Sarasota County, including some surprising statistics. The statistic that makes the most impact on me is the following: uninsured Americans have a mortality rate that is 25% higher than insured Americans. The whole film is filled with information like that! It's only six minutes long, and definitely worth a watch.
If the video inspires you to get involved, you can take part in CSI:Health, a non-profit group of volunteers who imagine and enact local solutions to get Sarasota insured.
The video was produced as a collaboration between Kari Ellingstad of the Community Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) and Brad Bryan, a local filmmaker.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
A Fun & Informative Data Video
This week my interesting data link isn't specific to Sarasota County - it examines data on a worldwide scale.
We at SCOPE first discovered the below video through TED, a yearly conference in Monterey, California, that "brings together 1,000 thought-leaders, movers and shakers" for "four days of learning, laughter, and inspiration." When the TED conference is over, they release many of the lectures (called TEDTalks) on the internet.
One of these lectures was given by Hans Rosling, a cofounder of the Gapminder foundation. The foundation exists to distribute global data. While the data exist, there is no method to share it with decision makers and the general public. The Gapminder Foundation develops ways to supply data - "the idea is that all people, independently of their political agenda, should get free access to already exisiting statistics about global development to easily improve their understanding about the complex society."
The TED lecture given by Dr. Rosling is compelling, informative, and fun to watch. I hope you enjoy it!
We at SCOPE first discovered the below video through TED, a yearly conference in Monterey, California, that "brings together 1,000 thought-leaders, movers and shakers" for "four days of learning, laughter, and inspiration." When the TED conference is over, they release many of the lectures (called TEDTalks) on the internet.
One of these lectures was given by Hans Rosling, a cofounder of the Gapminder foundation. The foundation exists to distribute global data. While the data exist, there is no method to share it with decision makers and the general public. The Gapminder Foundation develops ways to supply data - "the idea is that all people, independently of their political agenda, should get free access to already exisiting statistics about global development to easily improve their understanding about the complex society."
The TED lecture given by Dr. Rosling is compelling, informative, and fun to watch. I hope you enjoy it!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Websites of Note
Even though SCOPE has postponed the release of the CRC, we want to use the 'extra' months before the release to highlight some interesting websites related to data and Sarasota County. The first site we have to share is the 2006 Sarasota County Citizens Opinion Survey, which can be found here. (click on the green 'download the entire report' button)
The survey has been conducted each year since 1992, and Sarasota County government uses the results to measure progress, plan future steps, and make key decisions.
It is far from being a document of interest only to government employees, though! It gives us insight into residents' perceptions on a variety of issues - from quality of life to fiscal choices.
One of the most interesting questions is "In your opinion, what is the most important issue facing Sarasota County today?" Is it Water, Taxes, Population Growth/New Development, Affordable Housing, or Traffic/Transportation? Chances are, you know which issue is most important to you. With this survey, you can find out what is most important to your neighbors as well.
The survey has been conducted each year since 1992, and Sarasota County government uses the results to measure progress, plan future steps, and make key decisions.
It is far from being a document of interest only to government employees, though! It gives us insight into residents' perceptions on a variety of issues - from quality of life to fiscal choices.
One of the most interesting questions is "In your opinion, what is the most important issue facing Sarasota County today?" Is it Water, Taxes, Population Growth/New Development, Affordable Housing, or Traffic/Transportation? Chances are, you know which issue is most important to you. With this survey, you can find out what is most important to your neighbors as well.
News- CRC Release Postponed
SCOPE has postponed the release of the 2007 - 2008 Community Report Card until August. This means that the corresponding quarterly forum on the Natural Environment will be held at the end of October 2007.
We made the decision to postpone the release to make the forums more powerful events. We can imagine that these quarterly conversations could include multiple sessions and maybe even be more than one day. They could include related events and organizations partnering with SCOPE with the goal of engaging a really diverse number of community members.
As always, SCOPE appreciates your thoughts and ideas about how to make the forums more engaging and interactive. We are also still signing people up to receive the Community Report Card. Feel free to comment on this blog or to email kirwin [at] scopexcel [dot] org.
We made the decision to postpone the release to make the forums more powerful events. We can imagine that these quarterly conversations could include multiple sessions and maybe even be more than one day. They could include related events and organizations partnering with SCOPE with the goal of engaging a really diverse number of community members.
As always, SCOPE appreciates your thoughts and ideas about how to make the forums more engaging and interactive. We are also still signing people up to receive the Community Report Card. Feel free to comment on this blog or to email kirwin [at] scopexcel [dot] org.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
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