At a glance
A community profile is a narrative that describes the community affected by the environmental contamination at a site. Demographic information and community characteristics help to inform the community profile.
Overview
The profile summarizes:
- Community concerns
- Demographic information
- Identifies community leaders and organizations,
- Social determinants of health, and
- Other important characteristics of the affected community.
Developing a community profile can help you understand the community and prepare for your public health work. Creating a community profile is an essential first step and can help you develop a community engagement plan later on.
Keep in Mind
Geographic Information System (GIS) experts are a great resource and can help you obtain important demographic information. Ensure the information is accurate. Remember to provide the latitude and longitude of the street address at the environmental contamination site. If known, you can provide information such as an EPA ID number.
Where to Start
- Clearly define and map the boundaries, geographic or otherwise, of the community you are working with.
- Use a community profile worksheet or community data worksheet to keep track of the information you gather. (See resource: ATSDR Communication Toolkit: Community Data Worksheet)
- Gather contact information for key agencies, community leaders, and partners.
- Identify sources of community information that can add context and inform decision-making about your public health work. (See callout box: Getting the Data)
- Develop an inventory of existing community strengths, organizations, and resources that may be used to support your community engagement or public health work. This is also known as "asset-mapping."
- Assess health equity, health disparities, environmental justice issues, and the needs of any identified special populations.
- Identify local facilities that may be good for hosting potential community meetings. Include virtual platforms (e.g., Skype, Zoom, WebEx, etc.) that can be used to host meetings.
Tips from the Field
Key practices for success
Take advantage of the amount of information that is readily available about the community. Review everything you can (e.g., publicly available community data, news articles, and local social media posts).
Areas to exercise caution
Remember that news and rumors travel fast, especially when a new agency enters a community. Build trust and credibility by working with the community. Together, develop a community engagement plan and list of allies and state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) partners.
Risks to avoid
Do not assume you know everything there is to know about a community. Truly understanding a community requires time, effort, and an open mind.
Getting the Data
What to know
Additional Resources
ATSDR Communication Toolkit: Community Data Worksheet (ATSDR). A ready-to-use worksheet to organize initial data gathering efforts
CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index: SVI Interactive Map (CDC). An interactive map that applies CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to communities across the United States
Map Room (University of Missouri). Free mapping and reporting tools that support data and case-making needs across sectors
National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (CDC). A collection of non-infectious disease and environmental health data from a nationwide network of partners