Kumukahi Health + Wellness: When a Data Dashboard Makes Sense
Kumukahi Health + Wellness was founded in 1985 to support community members living with HIV/AIDS. Through its long commitment to supporting this community, the team at Kumukahi gained a deep understanding of their clients and has grown to offer HIV/AIDS and sexual health prevention, support, and clinic services, while also helping other underserved populations access critical healthcare resources. In 2015, the Hawai‘i Healthcare Connector closed leaving many local families without a clear way to access health insurance. Kumukahi recognized the gap, and expanded its services to help Hawai‘i Island and Maui residents navigate the health insurance landscape and MedQUEST system, eventually expanding this support through a network of partner agencies to coordinate services statewide.
Photo credit: Kumukahi Health + Wellness
With the growth over the last several years, the team developed a desire to use their data to improve programs, and demonstrate the impact of their work beyond reporting requirements. With several programs collecting and storing data in different systems, while continuing to expand services, the challenge of visualizing all of the data in a centralized platform seemed daunting but necessary for Kumukahi to assess the full impact of its work.
When a Data Dashboard Makes Sense
As Kumukahi expanded, it became apparent that making better use of data was critical to making good decisions and using funds effectively. “We knew we were collecting all this data that sat around, but werenʻt able to look at it in a way that could show what we do great, where we could use help, and what populations may not be getting served. Without the data piece, you can’t truly have a well-rounded program,” says Peter Tuiolosega Silva, Kumukahi’s CEO.
Many leaders immediately think of a dashboard when they think of utilizing their data better, but this isn’t always the best solution if there isn’t a clear understanding of the information and insights – and their applications – that the organization hopes to gain. In Kumukahi’s case, however, a dashboard made the most sense to give the team visibility into what is happening in each department and community to identify trends over time, as well as assess programs and needs. To do so, Kumukahi partnered with Hawai‘i Data Collaborative (HDC) to develop a dashboard that would capture and present the organization’s data in an easy-to-understand, digestible format that could provide hard data on key program metrics, such as lives saved and people insured.
Data to Connect Funding to Need
These metrics have the power to unlock key information to improve services. For example, the data showed that over time, Kumukahi maintained the same number of case managers even as the number of HIV positive continued to rise. Kumukahi was then able to use this information to ask partners to fund more case managers, and more resources for case manager support to ensure that the quality of client services was not jeopardized by stretching case managers too thin.
Kumukahi’s harm reduction services offer support in many areas, including access to other social services.
Photo credit: Kumukahi Health + Wellness
In speaking to how data relates to securing funding, Silva says, “Funders want to see the implementation of the programs they’re paying for. The data shows we are implementing, but from our perspective we want to stay one step ahead of the curve and see what is working where, what we need to advocate for funding, and who needs help. We need to get feedback and data from clients and staff to advocate with funders. I encourage everyone to put resources toward building data capacity so you can go into meetings feeling strong, [that] you do know your community and have a good rationale for the funding you need and are asking for.”
Data also supports building a strong program narrative for funders. “Having the right numbers that you can stand behind serves as a catalyst for advocating for people no one noticed or was fighting for before. We see a lot of the folks service providers do not normally reach. Having the data builds our legitimacy and the work we do,” says Silva.
Building Internal Data Culture
Photo credit: Kumukahi Health + Wellness
While funders may be hungry for data, integrating a new dashboard or data system into internal operations can sometimes be a challenge. “In the beginning, I was nervous about the data dashboard because tech can be intimidating. But once [HDC] worked with us and I saw the reports, it was eye-opening,” says Rachelle Hanohano, Director of Kumukahi’s Kokua Services. As Hanohano became more familiar with the dashboard, she found that the data affirmed what she already intuitively knew, but illustrated it in information she could visualize and leverage to gain more specific insights to improve services. For Kumukahi, the data dashboard provides feedback that allows for accountability by making results visible. As the organization works with the dashboard, the data they collect and the way they collect it has also evolved to better reflect outputs and impacts that matter most.
Along with identifying needs and areas to improve, the dashboard has also helped Kumukahi recognize and celebrate wins. “When you’re out in the field, it can be hard to keep track of everything when you're so busy. You donʻt realize how many lives youʻve touched. When I look at clients reached over the year, it's amazing to see the good work that all our partners are doing. We can’t do it all ourselves, and so we depend on kōkua and buy-in from everyone,” says Hanohano.
