Nevada’s Department of (DHHS) is embracing technology — from mobile apps to — to better serve the state's residents online. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, improving became a priority for many government agencies, suddenly being viewed as . This was especially true for public-sector health.
In Nevada, where many people live in isolated areas, technology is vital in connecting residents to care, said Shannon Litz, public information officer for the director’s office at the Nevada DHHS, in an email. “Nevada is a large state with many rural areas, so the availability of information virtually is vital to reach constituents and serve communities,” she said. Nevada is working on this with the launch of data dashboards, a mobile app, new websites and other initiatives to come.
But a major part of making state health information more widely available are data dashboards. In , the state announced the launch of new data dashboard on topics that ranged from drug overdoses to Medicaid services, to communicable diseases and more. As Litz explained, these dashboards are developed by DHHS’ Office of Analytics, and they aim to help both policymakers and the public make .
The dashboards use filters, visualizations and summary tables so those with limited data literacy can interpret information. Nevada's Office of Analytics received in April for information transparency. Litz said that data dashboards help serve DHHS at the leadership level, as they lead to more coordinate.
