Louisville Metro on Tuesday launched a new online tool to track community goals for improving residents' health over the next six years.The website, HealthLouisvilleMetro.org, allows people to observe the city's progress toward health goals in real time and the ability to contribute to building a healthier Louisville, said Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of Metro Public Health & Wellness."We believe that public health is everybody's work, and we believe that health equity is everybody's work," she said."Government can only do so much. Even if we had optimal financial resources and you put more money into a local health department, we're limited in our ability to reach." Interested people, non-profits and healthcare providers can use the website to find up-to-date statistics, information about best practices and a community event calendar for those looking to get involved.Nesbitt said while clinical care is important, there are other factors that play into the health and wellbeing of a community."We also recognize the impact of social determinates of health, the impact of the environment, the impact of individual health behaviors, and the impact of social and economic factors," she said.City leaders have a goal to make Louisville one of the healthiest cities in the country. Released earlier this year, Healthy Louisville 2020 is the city's strategic plan to improve overall health. Mayor Greg Fischer said the website will "allow everybody to see and to contribute to our progress in achieving" the plan's goals.The website is operated through a partnership between the Metro Public Health & Wellness and the Healthy Communities Institute, a non-profit focused on technology in health. It was set up through a one-time fee of $10,000, plus $32,000 for an annual system license to the institute.
