Integrating Social Determinants of Health Data in Nueces County, Texas
July 22, 2026 2pm
Webinar with Dr. Katya Wowk, The Water Institute
This project sought to better understand the health disparities and vulnerabilities in at-risk communities in Nueces County, Texas that stem from social determinants of health (SDOHs). These SDOHs were also linked to climate and environmental factors, with the explicit goal of facilitating the integration of data on key SDOH, climate and environmental factors to improve health outcomes and address health disparities. The project’s health outcome factors, as well as SDOHs, and climate and environmental factors were selected through a community-based participatory research process with the project’s Action Committee of local experts. Engagement also was conducted on-the-ground in the at-risk Nueces County community of Molina to better understand lived experiences and intersections with project findings. Outputs from the project include the Geospatial Nueces County Community Health & Environment Tool, which enables visual analysis of health, SDOH, climate and environment conditions at the census tract level across Nueces County, and make all data available for download and integration. Available at: https://geored.org/.
Participants attending the webinar can expect to advance two learning objectives: 1) Understand the Critical Link Between Health and Social Data: Attendees will be able to describe the significance of SDOHs, specifically identifying how non-medical factors disproportionately impact health outcomes in at-risk communities in the Texas Gulf region, and why integrating SDOH data with health data systems is essential for addressing health disparities; and 2) Identify Practical Applications for Geospatial Health Tools: Attendees will be able to recognize the utility of the locally tailored applications of the geospatial Nueces Community Health & Environment Tool and the project's SDOH Data Integration Framework, including in considering nature and the environment.