Data
Veterans Geography of Opportunity Tool
How healthy are communities where Veterans live?
Use this tool to explore different factors that influence health in communities where Veterans live, work, and play. The Veterans Geography of Opportunity Tool uses Veteran population information from the Veterans Health Administration and the American Community Survey as well as data from County Health Rankings & Roadmap, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The goals of that collaboration, which are shared by the VHA Office of Health Equity, are to:
- Build awareness of factors that influence health
- Provide reliable data to identify opportunities to improve health
- Engage communities and stakeholders in creating change
- Connect and empower communities to improve health
National Veteran Health Equity Report
The National Veteran Health Equity Report provides information regarding variations in patient experiences and healthcare quality for Veterans who obtain VHA healthcare services. The report looks at Veteran disparities that may exist because of differences in race/ethnicity, gender, age group, if Veterans reside in an urban or rural area, socio-economic status, and service-connected disability rating. The report also looks at disparities in veterans with cardiovascular risk factors of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.
The disparities highlighted in the National Veteran Health Equity Report emphasize the importance of VA healthcare providers being helpful and respectful in their communications with Veterans. Veterans must understand the health information their providers share to manage their health and use best practices for healthy living.The Office of Health Equity will use the information in this report to continue its work to reduce and eliminate Veteran health disparities across the nation.
Data used in this report come from the VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients-Patient-Centered Medical Home survey and the VA External Peer Review Program quality monitoring program (fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2019) through the VHA Office of Quality and Patient Safety-Analytics and Performance Integration.
Access the report at https://www.va.gov/HEALTHEQUITY/NVHER.asp
Compendium of Federal Datasets Addressing Health Disparities
VHA Office of Health Equity was pleased to partner with the Interdepartmental Health Equity Collaborative (IHEC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health and provide new data for the recently updated Compendium of Federal Datasets Addressing Health Disparities. The Compendium includes data about socioeconomic factors and social determinants of health.
The Compendium includes the following sources to assess disparities related to Veterans and their care:
- Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America
- American Community Survey
- Census of Fatal Occupational Injures
- Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement
- Disability and Health Data System
- Hepatitis C Virus – Advanced Liver Disease Disparities Data
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
- National Inmate Survey
- Survey of Inmates in Federal Correctional Facilities
- Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
