What to know
The California (CA) Tracking Program’s mission is to mobilize data to improve public health.
Background
California is the most populous state, with 40 million people. It has the world’s fifth largest economy.
The state has many environmental challenges resulting from economic and population growth. These include concerns about water quality, pesticide use, lead exposure, and air quality.
California is home to eight of the country’s 10 cities with the worst air pollution.1
Accomplishments
Improving Breast Cancer Outreach and Education
Tracking California recruited and worked with an advisory group of breast cancer advocates, clinicians, and public health agencies to determine the best way to map breast cancer data for the state. The advisory group decided that the maps should show data not limited by county boundaries. The new sub-county maps showed neighborhoods where invasive breast cancer was happening--information that was not available from county maps used in the past. Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center used the maps to identify and focus efforts on meeting the needs of women in their community.
Helping Identify Communities at Risk for Public Water Challenges
Tracking California created an easy-to-access web-based Water Boundary Tool (WBT), which allowed water systems to produce and upload digital maps of their service areas. To date, the tool has mapped public water systems serving over 90% of the state's population. A partnership between local governments, engineering firms, and non-governmental organizations used the WBT to address water quality challenges for rural and underserved communities in California. It has also been used for research on water quality and costs, and the ongoing surveillance of California's water systems.
Unique Data
All state and local tracking programs collect and display a set of standard data. But individual programs may host other data that are important to their populations. CA's unique data include the following.
Milestones
2001: California passed a law recommending an environmental health tracking program for the state.
2002: California Tracking Program established with CDC funding
2007: Launched the CA Tracking site
2009: Released Pesticide Mapping Tool
2010: Released Water Boundary Tool
2012: Identified areas of concern for breast cancer around the state
2014: Published a report on pesticide use near public schools
2015: Published a report on cost of environmental health conditions in children
2016: Launched a community air monitoring network at the US-Mexico border
2017: Published a report on childhood lead poisoning
- American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report