In 2009, The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) received a two-year grant to create an educational website that helps public health professionals recognize and act more effectively on the social injustices at the root of health inequity.
IK worked with NACCHO for over a year to develop, the Roots of Health Inequity, an innovative online learning environment for public health professionals to start addressing systemic difference in health and wellness that are, actionable, unfair, and unjust. In order to offer a site that provided the perfect starting place for such discussions, IK planned and developed the following:
1) A course containing 5 interactive learning units that addresses 5 critical questions in public health. (One unit was specifically designed for a user to receive Continuing Education Credit from the CDC)
2) A private online community to help guide a user through the course as well as facilitate opportunities for further discussion on issues addressed within the course or in their own experiences.
3) A public site featuring several course interactives to be used to encourage individuals and groups to participate in the Roots Course.
4) An administration portal from which the NACCHO administrator could manage community members, course content and activity within the site.
Drupal, an open source content management system, was used as the framework for the Roots Of Health Inequity online community and educational course. IK also consulted with NACCHO extensively throughout the website development, incorporating the visual design and the educational goals of the course and community. The site contains 5 robust flash interactives, 15 jquery interactives, numerous discussion areas and many multimedia assets.
