What if community residents wanted to gain access to fresh fruits and vegetables in their fast-food-filled district? What if a community group wanted to obtain more social services in a high-need area? Making those arguments is especially daunting if opposing special interests have more money and better information. One organization – Healthy City – is leveling the playing field so all Californians can now turn their passion into action.

Healthy City unites community voices with rigorous research and innovative technologies to solve the root causes of social inequity. They provide detailed information for service referrals, easy-to-use data, and technical assistance to help communities fuel social change. First established in Los Angeles, Healthy City has recently expanded to serve all of California.

On HealthyCity.org, users can create interactive maps to help visualize social problems and move towards community solutions. “We give you ammo to make your case to City Hall," says Healthy City Director John Kim. “Healthy City now enables community organizations to wow decision-makers by telling their community’s story with compelling maps, charts, and graphs. It’s putting data into action.”

Kim also notes that during a time of deep financial crisis throughout all levels of government in California, data is helping community groups remain relevant and maintain support in their communities.“We give both community organizations and policy-makers the tools to make smart decisions. We give all players objective research and analyses to help bridge differences and encourage collaborative problem-solving.”

On Monday, April 26, Healthy City Director Kim was joined by the Healthy City Sacramento Region Partnership to launch the Sacramento region website (www.HealthyCity.org/region/sac). The Healthy City Sacramento Region Partnership is comprised of the Sacramento Housing Alliance and its Coalition on Regional Equity, the Community Services Planning Council and the UC Davis Center for Regional Change. The Partnership has committed to working with Healthy City to democratize access to data, improve public policy through better understanding of the issues, and improve referrals to community and social services.

Over 50 people attended the Healthy City Sacramento Region launch, representing service providers, local government staff, health care providers, and advocacy organizations. The launch was hosted by the Sierra Health Foundation at their Natomas office. Attendees learned about the history of Healthy City and how it has grown into a resource for the entire state of California, supported by funding from The California Endowment. Regional partner representatives then took attendees through a demonstration of the features of HealthyCity.org.

The Healthy City Sacramento Region Partnership will conduct outreach and training around the HealthyCity.org website to raise awareness about community conditions and policy and planning efforts for other community groups, and will work to increase access to locally developed research and data. For more information on Healthy City, the Sacramento Region Partnership, or training opportunities, visit www.HealthyCity.org/region/sac.

Kendra Bridges is a Researcher and GIS Specialist for the Sacramento Housing Alliance, member of the Healthy City Sacramento Region Partnership. Contributions to this article were made by Healthy City staff and the Sacramento Region Partnership.