Community Health Equity Initiative: Data and Action Support
About the Project
Project Name: Community Health Equity Initiative
Our Role: Regional Data and Action Support Provider for Western and Central Massachusetts
Funded by: Massachusetts Department of Public Health
The Community Health Equity Initiative (CHEI) collects data on the social and structural causes of health needs facing Massachusetts residents, specifically among communities who are disproportionately affected by health emergencies. Through this data collection CHEI strives to help communities, along with state and local partners, prioritize changes to policy and how and where resources go. CHEI was previously known as CCIS, the COVID-19 Community Impact Survey.
Take the 2026 MA Community Health Equity Survey Today!
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will use survey results to improve programs, guide funding and resource decisions, and support policies that address health inequities. They will also share survey findings with partners across the state to help strengthen their efforts to improve health in their communities. The survey will be open from July 2026 through early Fall 2026. Anyone age 12 or older can participate. It takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete and is available in 12 languages.
View the CHES 2023 Overview & Key Findings Slides (PDF) to learn more about CHES history, frameworks, methods, and early key findings.
Data
Regional Data Products
- Rural Realities: Financial insecurity and health inequities in our rural communities
- Loneliness has been on the rise: Infographic about loneliness and isolation in Western Massachusetts. Infographic available in other languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Haitian Creole
Public Data Tables
CHES Data Tables are now available! View the CHES 2023 Overview & Key Findings Slides (PDF) to learn more about CHES history, frameworks, methods, and early key findings. To understand how to interpret and act upon results, please watch the CHEI Racial Justice Framing webinar.
How does Health Equity Show Up?
The CHEI project shines a light on social and structural factors that create health disparities. We work with community-based organizations, municipalities, health systems, and other partners to use the data to drive action and close health equity gaps so all Massachusetts residents have a fair chance at a healthy life. To understand how to interpret and act upon results, please watch the CHEI Racial Justice Framing webinar.
REQUEST FREE DATA AND ACTION SUPPORT
PHIWM is the Data and Action Support Provider for Western and Central Massachusetts. We have partnered with the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester for support reaching central Massachusetts. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is providing support to Eastern Massachusetts.
To request data and action support or to learn more, please fill out the Data & Action Support Interest Form.
We are here to help you understand and take action based on the CHEI survey data. This data can be used to inform programming, apply for grant funding, and advocate for policies that reduce health inequities. We are currently available to:
- Fulfill customized CHEI survey data requests for your geography and/or community of focus;
- Support you in engaging residents from your community to contextualize findings and prioritize action steps;
- Provide capacity building and resources to take action to address health inequities.
Additional Resources
Rural Realities: Advancing Health Equity in Western MA's Rural Communities
Rural Realities: Financial insecurity and health inequities in our rural communities. Insights from the 2023 Community Health Equity Survey - Western MA and Statewide
CHEI Data & Action Webinar: CHEI Webinar: Using Creative Expression to Visualize Data & Increase Accessibility
CHEI Data & Action Webinar: Combining Qualitative & Quantitative Data to Advance Equity for Immigrants (May 2025)
CHEI Data & Action Webinar: Using Data for Funding (April 2025)
CHEI Data & Policy Action Webinar (Feb 2025)
Loneliness has been on the rise - English
Loneliness has been on the rise- Spanish
Loneliness has been on the rise- Portuguese
Loneliness has been on the rise- Chinese
Loneliness has been on the rise- Haitian Creole
CHEI Data & Action Webinar (Jan 2025)
Cat-alyzing Change: A Tale of Using CHES Data to Inform Action
Data and Action Framework: Interpreting and Contextualizing Data
Data and Action: A Guide for Using Data to Support and Drive Action
Projects
