When we talk about health care policy in America, very rarely do we mention the roles that class and race play in determining our access to and the quality of health care that we receive.  At The Opportunity Agenda, one of our major goals is to increase awareness about these issues and to advocate for solutions that expand equal access to quality health care for all.

To that end, today we are launching a new project - Health Care That Works.

Health Care That Works is a Google Maps mash-up designed to visually illustrate the economic and racial disparities that exist in New York City's health care system, and drive all New Yorker's of conscience to take action by emailing their elected officials.

The site takes data on NYC hospital closures between 1985 and 2005, and overlays it on an interactive city-wide map that can display either the racial or economic demographics of the Five Boroughs during 1985, 1995, or 2005. Using this tool, visitors can visually see how hospital closures disproportionately impact poor neighborhoods and communities of color. Text on the sidebar guides the user through each decade and demographic overlay, explaining the changing conditions of the city and the impact that closures have on underserved communities.

But the site is more than just a visual resource, it is also a data-rich resource for researchers that contains a variety of reports and fact sheets (as well as data on the patient demographics, payer source, and quality scores for each hospital), a community forum for health care advocates and New Yorkers, and an activism tool that encourages New Yorkers to write to their elected officials in support of creating a health care system that works equally for all. We think that Health Care That Works can be a valuable resource that sheds light on the underreported issues of racial and economic disparities in health care. Let us know what you think here in the comments, or over in the Health Care That Works forums.

Here are some screenshots from the site: