Mapping Social Vulnerability

Social vulnerability refers to a community’s resilience when confronted by external stresses on human health. Factors such as poverty and lack of access to transportation may weaken a community’s ability to withstand the impacts from adverse events such as natural disasters and public health crises, which can lead to human suffering and financial loss. At the individual level, social vulnerability can also impact one’s ability to manage chronic conditions like cancer or diabetes and has been associated with a higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality with COVID-19.

The social vulnerability index (SVI) was created by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to measure social vulnerability. While initially developed for emergency preparedness, such as how to allocate resources during a crisis, the SVI has since been adopted to risk stratification and healthcare efforts due to the link between SVI and the social determinants of health. In other words, social vulnerability is tied to overall health and wellness and can negatively impact both individuals and their communities, such as leading to higher rates of diseases and healthcare utilization.

I created the “Mapping Social Vulnerability” tool to explore social vulnerability across the United States. The interactive tool can be used to identify communities at higher risk of adverse health outcomes or with greater social and healthcare needs.