HEA Metrics
What is HEA Score

The HEA Score is an assessment from the Health Equity Agenda that allows you to find out the overall level of quality of life in various aspects of Santa Clara County

Creating Health Equity for Santa Clara County

What are the Eight Metrics Guiding Santa Clara County's Health Equity Agenda?

By listening to the community, the Health Equity Agenda determined eight key metrics to track on the way to achieving health justice in Santa Clara County. Explore them all!

11.8

Goal to Increase

Access to Care

Percentage of Individuals Who Had Difficulty Finding Primary Care in Santa Clara County (%)

14.4

Goal to Increase

Air Quality

Average Canopy Cover Across Santa Clara County (%)

44.0%

Goal to Increase

Behavioral Health

Percentage of Individuals Receiving Treatment When Sought in Santa Clara County (%)

29

Goal to Increase

Child Welfare Referrals

Child Welfare Referral Incidents per 1,000 Children in Santa Clara County

8.3%

Goal to Increase

Diabetes

Percentage of Adults Diagnosed with Diabetes in Santa Clara County (%)

91.6%

Goal to Increase

Experience of Care

Percentage of Individuals Who Never Experienced Unfair Treatment in Santa Clara County (%)

15.7%

Goal to Increase

Homelessness

Families Experiencing Homelessness with Children in Santa Clara County

25.0%

Goal to Increase

People Living in Poverty

Percentage of Households with Income Below Real Cost Measure in Santa Clara County (%)

Creating Health Equity for Santa Clara County

By listening to the community, the Health Equity Agenda determined eight key metrics to track on the way to achieving health justice in Santa Clara County. Explore them all!

Access to Care
Access to Care:

Access to High Quality Care is paramount for an individual’s health and wellbeing. This can be hampered by cost of care, transportation, provider shortages, long waits for specialty referrals, and difficult to navigate systems. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metrics on Access to Care:

Percentage of Individuals Who Had Difficulty Finding Primary Care in Santa Clara County (%)134
48%

Air Quality
Air Quality:

Air Quality is a measure of how clean or polluted the air is and heat increases the amount of ozone pollution and particulate pollution. Air Quality and extreme heat impact everyone’s health but impacts those with Chronic Lower Respiratory Issues (COPD, asthma) far more. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metrics on Air Quality:

Average Canopy Cover Across Santa Clara County (%)96

Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health:

Behavioral Health includes both mental health and substance use. Many people feel shame or experience stigma when seeking these services. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metric for Behavioral Health:

Percentage of Individuals Receiving Treatment When Sought in Santa Clara County (%)180

Child Welfare Referrals
Child Welfare Referrals:

Child welfare referrals are invaluable in ensuring the health and wellbeing of children in our County. They can also unnecessarily lead to some races and ethnicities experiencing overrepresentation within the child welfare system. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metric for Child Welfare:

Child Welfare Referral Incidents per 1,000 Children in Santa Clara County176

Diabetes
Diabetes:

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. While there is no cure for diabetes, but there are treatments to help manage diabetes. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metrics on diabetes:

Percentage of Adults Diagnosed with Diabetes in Santa Clara County (%)140

Experience of Care
Experience of Care:

How an individual experiences the health care system affects their health, wellbeing, understanding and compliance with care plans. Community members report experiencing racism, stigmatization due to mental health, fear due to immigration status, and language and cultural barriers. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metric on Experience of Care:

Percentage of Individuals Who Never Experienced Unfair Treatment in Santa Clara County (%)84

Homelessness
Homelessness:

Homeless or unsheltered individuals are those that lack a stable and suitable residence. Experiencing homelessness is dangerous and increased your risk of mortality. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metrics on homelessness:

Families Experiencing Homelessness with Children in Santa Clara County103

People Living in Poverty
Poverty:

Poverty plays an outsized role in an individual’s health and wellbeing. The Health Equity Agenda is tracking the following metric on poverty:

Percentage of Households with Income Below Real Cost Measure in Santa Clara County (%)110

Based on feedback from our community and key stakeholders, these metrics were selected as they: measure a key component of health equity, are frequently updated, show the necessary demographics for our County, and are both easily understood and acted upon.