How healthy is McHenry County? New ‘Health Atlas’ offers insights on 300 indicators, by ZIP code

The McHenry County Department of Health has launched a “Health Atlas.”

The atlas offers insights into health statistics in the county, focusing on its health goals of access to care, behavioral health, prevention and treatment of diabetes and obesity, and promotion of active living.

The atlas “tracks 301 indicators,” according to a county news release. Metrics in the health atlas that people can dig into include the percentage of McHenry County adults who get insufficient sleep, the percentage who provided caregiving services in the last month and data on substance overdoses.

People can also drill down further into the data, and the dashboard also includes a map. People also can start by looking at a ZIP code and then view statistics and data for that ZIP code. Some of the data are broken down by demographic factors like ethnicity and socioeconomic status, while others are broken down by geographic factors like census tract or ZIP code.

The dashboard also includes sources so people can see where the data came from.

Some of the data are age-specific. One of the metrics in the atlas is accidental opioid overdose deaths by age group. In data from September 2023 to August 2024, the accidental overdose death rate in the county was 9.7 per 100,000 people, but was 24.1 per 100,000 people for those ages 40-49.

“The launch of the McHenry County Health Atlas is a pivotal step in advancing our mission to protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of those who live, learn, work, and play in McHenry County,” Melissa Adamson, public health administrator, said in the release. “This tool provides residents, healthcare providers, and community leaders with critical, real-time data to make informed decisions that foster healthier outcomes across our community. The Atlas is an important resource in our ongoing efforts to collaborate and target initiatives that improve the overall well-being of McHenry County.”

The atlas “empowers users with timely, actionable data that can be used to guide public health decisions, identify priorities, and address disparities,” according to the release.

The McHenry County health department said it worked with Metopio to develop the atlas. Metopio, based in downtown Chicago, describes itself on its website as “a rapidly growing analytics startup that makes it ridiculously easy to understand places and populations, discover insights, and plan meaningful actions.”

The health department plans to update the atlas regularly. Here is where people can find McHenry County’s new Health Atlas: healthymchenrycounty.org.