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​​​​Health and social services policies​​​ are complex topics and involve difficult decisions that must balance the interests of several constituencies. Researchers at the Office of Data Analytics work on projects to promote the creation of new knowledge to inform Kentucky policy​​makers as they make these decisions.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services has a broad programmatic ​portfolio and requires insights from a wide range of disciplines and academic fields to carry out its work effectively. From child welfare and foster care to Medicaid services, behavioral health and care for the aging, the Cabinet must rely on an expansive knowledge base. 

Using information collected from scientific literature and the daily operations of state government programs, these researchers produce materials for government officials to help them better understand where problems are emerging in the state, which programs are effective and which strategies have been successful in other parts of the country. These materials can take any form necessary, often invol​ving research briefs, short reports, presentations and articles in peer-reviewed academic journals. The research activities at the Office of Data Analytics seek to simultaneously support external university-based research activities while bolstering the Cabinet’s internal capacity to deliver actionable intelligence to those who need it.

Reports

Kentucky Students Experiencing Homelessness: How are they served by the school Family Resource and Youth Services Centers?

The Future of Child Welfare Will Look Toward Children’s Health: The Case of the Kentucky Health Information Data Sharing (KHIDS) Project



​Data Briefs

In our quest to translate data to knowledge, the Office of Data Analytics, Division of Analytics, prepares collaborative data briefs to concisely present information on complex topics to broad audiences. A list of data briefs that have been released follows:

Bariatric Surgery Prevalence

Maternal and Infant Health Initiative Contraceptive Measures

Opioid Related Trends

Homelessness Indicator

Several challenges may be encountered when patients are admitted to Kentucky hospitals without a safe place to go at discharge. To better understand the prevalence of this phenomenon, the Office of Data Analytics worked with community partners to construct an indicator of homelessness in the Health Facilities and Services Data.

The Creation of an Indicator of Patient Homelessness in Kentucky’s Health Facilities and Services Data

OHDA Homeless Indicator Statistics Reference Sheet