Washington Tracking Program
Website: www.doh.wa.gov/wtnexternal icon
Email: Doh.wtn@doh.wa.gov
Mission:
The Washington (WA) Tracking Program provides meaningful data and information to the public and partners to support public health action. The overall goal is to provide data that policy makers and public health officials can use to improve the health of communities through interventions and targeted resources.
Quick Stats:
- Washington State has seven million residents living in both urban and rural settings.
- A variety of industry and agriculture practices has contributed to the pollution of Washington’s environment.
- Air pollution from cars, trucks, shipping, and wildfires can affect individuals’ health, particularly among those vulnerable to polluted air. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone are widespread pollutants across Washington state.
Milestones:
Important events and achievements of the tracking program
- Timelineicon
2002
Washington Tracking Program established with CDC funding
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2004
Launched the WA Tracking siteexternal icon
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2015
Released the community mapping toolexternal icon
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2017
Launched the Environtmental Health mobile websiteexternal icon
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2018
Published new interactive dashboardsexternal icon
Unique Data:
In addition to the set of standard data collected and displayed by all state and local tracking programs, individual programs may host data that are important to their populations.
Accomplishments:
Making Data Available for Everyone: Before the WA Tracking Program was formed, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) did not have a data website where people could search for information about environmental concerns. Local and state health workers had access to a restricted, secure query system of critical health data, but that system was outdated and quickly becoming more difficult to support. Today, because of the WA Tracking Program, the Washington DOH has a dynamic and integrated web application that anyone can access to help them understand and make informed decisions about environmental public health.