Central MN Alliance
- Describe the work of your organization. Our collaboration, the Central MN Alliance, is working on a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). CHIP uses guiding principles and goals to address the community priorities identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) process for the central Minnesota counties of Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns.
- How do you use data in your work? We use data to identify community concerns and analyze data to plan for the future. In Stearns County, it is used for basic demographic and economic information that is easy to understand and that we share with other community partners.
- How have you used Minnesota Compass data?
We use Minnesota Compass to quickly compare data from Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties, as well as the state, to see if there are any concerns that arise from this comparison.
Since the City of St. Cloud includes all three counties, we also use Minnesota Compass Build Your Own Profile to zero in on census tracts and see differences across neighborhoods in the St. Cloud area.
In the CHIP, where we need to describe our community, we use Minnesota Compass data to have a consistent data source across the counties’ data descriptors.
- How does Minnesota Compass add value to your work?
Minnesota Compass adds value to the organization by having a constant source of reliable data that are easily consumable and comparable across different geographies. It is a good source for management to use to have some basic demographic and economic data for the county. It is easy to understand for those with and without technical backgrounds.
It is a commonly used site in the Central MN Alliance agencies of Benton County Human Services, CentraCare, Sherburne County Health & Human Services, and Stearns County Human Services.