Riverside, CA -  The Inland Empire has two of the fastest growing counties in the country, and is undergoing a breakthrough moment with respect to innovation and community impact. Critical to that advancement is the strategic deployment of data and research, community narrative, and collective action, what the Center for Social Innovation calls “DNA: Data, Narrative, Action.”

The Inland Empire is making significant headway on improvements in data and research, drawing on the talent of its many higher education institutions, government agencies, and private enterprises. In June 2022, the region held its first-ever regional data summit, co-sponsored by organizations like UCR’s Center for Social Innovation, IE RISE, HARC, Inc, Community Health Association of Inland Southern Region, and the Inland Empire Community Collaborative. Dozens of organizations and over 120 experts came together, to build community and find ways to strengthen the use of data and research in capacity building, strategic planning, and fundraising. 

Building on this success, the IE Data Summit continues as a quarterly event, with deep dives into particular topics, and the kinds of data that can inspire collective action. 

The second IE Data Summit will focus on Health and Well-Being and will take place on November 2 from 10:30 am - 12 noon. The event will include a research showcase highlighting various research reports on Health of the Inland Empire and data demonstrations to show novice and expert users how to use data tools more effectively. 

Research showcase speakers will include: Gary Rettberg, Research Manager, Center for Social Innovation at UC, Riverside; Dr. Andrea Polonijo, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UC, Merced; Jasmine Hutchinson, MSPH, Director of Community Benefit and Associate Director of Intitute for Community Partnerships, Loma Linda University Health; and Reverend Deborah Jones, Director, Mission Integration & Spiritual Care Services and Christopher Conteras, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Community Hospital of San Bernardino. 

Data Demonstration presenters will include: Kevin Meconis, MPH, Senior Epidemiologist, Riverside University Health System-Public Health and Adrienne Damicis, MS, Alliance Data Analyst, Public Health Alliance of Southern California.

Information presented during our research showcase will highlight unique health statistics for special populations in our region such as Latinos, who make up almost 52% of the population in the Inland Empire. Other populations that will be highlighted are Transgender and Gender Nonconforming patients, who make up a significant portion of the Inland Empire's population and show lower rates of positive mental health. 

After many requests from our previous Data Summit, this IE Health Data Summit will feature a data demonstration presentation on the Health Places Index (HPI) Data Tool. HPI, created by the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, is a data and policy platform used to advance health equity. The IE Health Data Summit will also have a data demonstration presentation on the SHAPE Riverside County data tool, a data tool centered around health equity for Riverside County.