The County Podcast BCSTAT
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello and welcome to the county where we examine issues important to Baltimore County, Maryland. I'm Bill Baker, your host for this episode. When County Executive Johnny Olszewski took office, two of his top priorities were to modernize government and enhance transparency in an effort to do just that. He made the announcement in March of 2020 of the creation of BCSTAT, Baltimore County's first data-driven performance management program. The mission of BCSTAT is to incorporate data into decision-making and apply data-driven analysis to everyday operations across county departments. Joining us is the chief Data and performance officer Momen Abukhdeir. Thank you for joining us. 
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Thank You.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Can you provide an overview of the origins of BC stat? How did it come to be?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Sure. So BCSTAT, there is a lot of other jurisdictions that have these stat programs and, and then stat means different things for different people. And for, in some jurisdictions it is a program that's specifically around measuring certain performance measures, uh, in some, and then publishing that information publicly in other places, it's strictly a meeting with high level leadership around accountability and data. Um, with Baltimore County, uh, we had the, a unique opportunity to start the program from the ground up, build it the way we wanted to have it built, uh, under the leadership of, uh, County Executive Johnny Olszewski and Elizabeth Sachs. The vision that we had for the program was that we wanted a sort of a three-pronged approach. So the BC stat program would be focused on one filling in a gap for departments that needed, uh, data analysis support. So we wanted to focus specifically on supporting those departments that did not have their own data analysts to be able to review their data, see their data, and glean insights from that data.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So that was a primary focus of the STAT program and supporting the departments that didn't have their own analytics teams. We also wanted to create that platform to have discussions and conversations and collaboration around data, uh, in a forum that we would call a STAT meeting. And so we had, uh, various different cross-departmental meetings to bring different stakeholders, uh, into the picture to be able to then have not just conversations, uh, about issues and topics, but to be able to say like, what does the evidence say? And then make informed decisions in whatever direction, you know, we chose to go. Those were the meetings themselves. And then the final component of BC STAT really was publishing that information and being transparent. The county executive really wanted us to push out as much information as we were legally able to do so, and we did that. And so it was, you know, analyzing information for departments, supporting them, creating a forum for people to be able to have conversations, especially around issues that are cross-departmental, where it's not always clear who the champion is or who's the responsible party for progress. And then also, uh, pushing out information to the public.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
It was launched in March of 2020. How much did the pandemic play a role in the launch and pushing the program forward?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
So I would say really, yeah, March, 2020 was the launch. The program started with meetings probably that November of 2019, but we really, really aggressively began to push out these cross-departmental meetings such as, uh, like a neighborhood, uh, stat. We had public safety, we had behavioral health, we had opioids, we had transportation, et cetera. Those meetings around those issues, we formalized it in in March of 2020. But really what we were looking for with this launch was to build buy-in within departments to get them to engage in this and see that data was a tool for progress and not necessarily for simply to, to hold people accountable. It was how do we move forward, not looking backwards. The pandemic came and a lot of departments and, and just personnel were skeptical about sort of what are these meetings you have? You have a meeting with the county executive, county administrative officer, deputy administrative officers, department heads from different departments, high level personnel, and you're sitting in a room and they were sort of skeptical about the conversations and where things would go.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And the pandemic really, really showed these departments that it was all about progress. It was all about collaborative progress together. And so we kind of, uh, jumped into this environment that, you know, and there wasn't any jurisdiction that was prepared for this, right? The COVID-19 pandemic. But we jumped in and we saw how important data was. We were getting so much information, and we jumped in to partner with the health department and really analyze all of the infection data, all of the vaccine data, all of, and also create dashboards and templates around inventory of, of required equipment, whether it be PPE test kits, et cetera. We also, um, did analysis on, uh, for distribution of these safety kits with the testing and the masks based on where we had infection rates and where was the closest school to be able to do distribution. Same thing with the food distribution.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
We identifying the areas where we felt there was, uh, the data showed that there was more vulnerability, so prioritizing food distribution in those areas. We used data and created maps, maps in order to identify those. We also, one of our, I would say, good success stories in, in how the pandemic really showed the departments how we could use data to really affect change was, um, when the vaccinations finally came out, we, we were analyzing all the information of where individuals were vaccinated may have had first doses, but not second doses, et cetera. And so we were able to actually identify the individuals that had waited over a certain period of days before they got their second dose, and to be able to market to those individuals to create a day at the fairgrounds where we were doing the testing to have a specific day just for individuals who needed their second dose.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
And that allowed us to really impact percentages. But one of the things that we did that was unique, that the health department did a phenomenal job and was building relationships with different houses of worship to push out the vaccines. And one of the things that we were able to help them with is that at one point, there's a map, uh, that I, that I've shared in the past of where we had low vaccination rates and, and by census tract in the county. And within a span of almost three months, we began to highly, uh, prioritize through our mobile vaccination unit, the areas that had low vaccination rates, partnering and identifying the houses of worship in those areas. The community centers, the anchor institutions there. And within three months, you could just see the map go from red, orange, you know, closer to green and blue.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And so that was a, a really big, uh, effort. But one other example that I, I will share is we had resources. Obviously there's a lot of resources to support, uh, Baltimore County and, and the country in response to the pandemic. But again, those resources, uh, were not unlimited. And so one good example, uh, of how we prioritize the use of our resources to have the biggest impact was, um, during, uh, the housing department received a, a significant sum of eviction prevention money. And so they were trying to figure out how to best prioritize applications to help people so that, you know, obviously when the eviction moratorium was lifted, that those individuals would not be evicted. And so we actually created an eviction risk index based on a bunch of different variables to identify the specific census tracks in the county that would most likely face eviction, where there'd be a large number of evictions.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And we prioritize, literally through the application process is one of the, one of the variables was, is this application in this census track? Yes or no? And so that allowed us to really prioritize our funding on the people in need. And then, you know, fast forward a few years after the pandemic, once the moratorium eviction moratorium was lifted, we actually got the data on the warrants of restitution, which is the last step before somebody gets evicted. And when we looked at the hotspots of that, uh, where that was happening, it was actually the areas that we prioritized. So it wasn't like we missed an area that we, we didn't identify it was in the area, so obviously they needed more support, but we were prioritizing in the right places. So after you put all that together, working with the housing department, the office of emergency management, the fire department, the health department, and, and helping them use data to track anything from inventory all the way to how we distribute resources to where we deploy resources. I think once the department saw that over that span of that response, it really made it easy for us to show the value of data. And so now you had departments coming to us with other problems post pandemic, and even during the pandemic, you know, how can you help us use data to better prioritize how we serve? So what does
Speaker 1 (08:41):
A project now look like for you from the origin to, you know, results to making a decision? What does it go through?
Speaker 2 (08:48):
So I like to think of us as an internal consultant that is bad for business, for outside consulting, <laugh>. Uh, quite frankly, we were brought in to be a one-stop shop. So we have a policy and implementation team, we have a data analysis team, we have a research team, uh, and individuals that have multiple skill sets in all three. And so the way that we handle a project is every department is limited resources and whatnot. So we don't want to be a de and we've seen this in other jurisdictions, but we don't want to be someone who comes in and looks at information, identifies a problem and says, figure it out, or, here's how you should figure it out, and then leaves that department to fix it. Because at that point, you also need the resources and what not to make it a priority and to move it along.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
And so what we like to be is a one-stop shop. If we identify a problem through data or an issue or a possible improvement, we're gonna walk you through it, and we're gonna do a lot of the work. So if there is a grant that needs to be applied to, to help fix an issue that we have, we'll help you with the grant. We'll write, we've written grants. It's not what we do. We have a grant, there's a grants team in the county and and whatnot. Then other departments have certain grant teams, but we're, there is nothing that I would say is outside of the job description. So we will research what other jurisdictions are doing. We'll provide solutions. So it really usually starts with us identifying a problem by looking at data. So, or someone is telling us about a problem and we go look at the data to see how big of a problem it really is.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
And once we identify that problem, then we do the research benchmarking to see what other jurisdictions, we don't wanna reinvent the wheel. I'm sure other jurisdictions have faced these issues. What have they done? Then we bring in all of the different stakeholders and decision makers to come in, review that information, and make a decision on next steps. A really good example of that is our, uh, work on vacants, right? The problem was, county executive was given a list from a community member during a community walk with a list of vacant properties. They identified and said, add it to your list. There was no list that data was given to us. And then we realized we don't have a way of documenting vacant properties in the county. And so at that point, we tried to use data to solve the problem. We looked at places that had no energy consumption, gas, electric water consumption, tax sale, and a bunch of different variables to identify a vacant property.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
And then we went out and to check, we went with our code enforcement team to check, and we realized we only had about 52% accuracy with the data, which is not a good number. Considering those variables that turned into the next step of, we can't predict it, let's create a criteria and create a list that was legislative. So what do other jurisdictions legislatively have to identify vacant properties? How do, what are the categories that they look at when they're identifying a vacant property? So we do all of that. We do all that research. For example, our Office of Government Affairs created that legislation, I think it was passed in April of, I think last year, 2023. And now we have a list, and now we're promoting it and working with 3 1 1 to sort of educate individuals on the fact that they can now report a vacant property just for being vacant to add it to the list before it had to have a violation of some sort to be added to any type of, uh, re reporting. So it really is that full spectrum of, here's the problem, let's use data to fix it or identify it if that, let's do some research to see what are some possible solutions. And then when it comes to the solution part, we craft language. We work with departments to actually put in those specific processes to fix the problem or move towards it. So we never leave the project. We're always there as a support for those departments, and that makes sure that our projects get done.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Can you give me an example of something you're working on right now, an ongoing BCSTAT project?
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So one, one project. So we, we've done a bunch of maps, especially during the pandemic that identify, uh, social vulnerability in Baltimore County. What that means, one good example of that is that when we got a a, a ton of American rescue plan, uh, money, I think it was 160 some million dollars, we were told by the federal government that we could really only focus on qualified census tracks to be a qualified census track. There's some, I don't know it off the top of my head, but I think like 50% or more of that census track has to be like in a considered in poverty. And, and there's not that many of those census tracks in Baltimore County. So we were very limited on where we could spend the money. And, and so we actually created our own, there was a, there was some customization, eligibility where you could define vulnerability yourself for your county.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
And so we took all the data we looked at during the pandemic, we added nine one one call data around domestic violence, behavioral health, and a bunch of other different variables, eviction. And we created this new map that we felt better expressed vulnerability in Baltimore County. And we actually sent that over to the federal government and actually got invited to the White House to present it because of it was virtual 'cause it was during the pandemic, so we didn't get to actually go to the White House. But that map allowed us to now be able to serve a lot more people with that American rescue plan, uh, money. And the reason why I mentioned that is that nonprofits came to us and actually asked us for information to better utilize their resources. So another nonprofit that was helping, uh, to create licensed childcare facilities actually came to us and said, where's the best places in the county to make this?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
And so we did the analysis for them looking at where, you know, you had a large population under five, where you had a lot of single income households. Uh, and, and to identify the areas where we thought, um, based on the data, uh, needed childcare facilities, we also mapped all of the childcare facilities to see where they were. So any places that, you know, weren't, uh, where there were sort of, you could call them childcare deserts. Um, and then we shared that data with that nonprofit and they were able to prioritize those areas for, for their grants. All of that to say that we realized that the data's out there, but a normal citizen can't necessarily access it or glean meaning from it very easily. Like they don't all have access to Esri ArcGIS, they don't all have access to Microsoft Power bi, they don't all have access to the skills to utilize those tools to create easy to read graphs, maps and, and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
And so we came up with an idea to create a social determinants of health map for the public, but also internally for our departments, where we put as much data as we can into this one map that you can go into and check. And that way when we meet with community organizations, we can say, you know, you tell us you telling us about your actual experiences and whatnot, but this is what the data is showing, and when we make decisions, we make it based on data. So let's see where the disconnect is, if there is a disconnect. And there is a lot of times where community organizations shocked at some of the, what the data was showing, the graduation rates, the employment rates and whatnot, disconnected youth rates. So what we decided to do is create a map and, and it's currently live, um, with a bunch of different data in one place to be able to assess the health of a specific area.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Um, and we, the, the really unique thing about it is that we didn't just use publicly available data. We added data from the county that wasn't previously publicly available. So we added, for example, you know, places that, uh, like the by census tracked, uh, you know, places that had library cards. We, we merged some of the CDC data that's out there on individuals, uh, over the age of 65 that have lost all their teeth due to gum disease with, you know, the basic census data of where you have, you know, what, what are the demographics, what are the employment, et cetera, poverty. We put that all together into this MAP application that's currently live. And it's, we've had some conversations actually that have been funny with other, uh, stakeholders outside of city, uh, county government where they came to us and said, oh, there's this really cool map not realizing that we, we were the ones that created it. So, um, you know, that was, that was a pretty good, um, but that, I would say that that's one of our biggest, uh, ongoing projects.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
What's an example of a project that, that you guys are working on that helps inform the public?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Yeah, so we, we looked at a lot of code enforcement data, uh, over, over time, um, because that, that's usually a good indicator of neighborhood health. You know, when we look at that code enforcement data, we, we just delved really deep into it. We talk about it a lot on, on at stat meetings and, and, and we discussed it and then we realized that, you know, 3 1 1 and just code enforcement in general gets a ton of calls and complaints around, Hey, I complained about this person's high grass. I complained about this illegal dumping. I complained about, you know, this boarded up property. I complained about, you know, all these different things, uh, unsafe structure, vacant property. And what we realized was that we're always in this data. We're always analyzing it. It's readily available, it's great data, let's make it available to the public so that somebody can just go online, see that, what the trends are in their area, but also have the ability to check the status of a complaint they made.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
So you can go and put in the address, any address in the county, and you can see the, uh, different violations there. You can see the status of a violation. You may have, uh, or, or a complaint that you may have called in about either you know, about, uh, you know, someone called in about your property, you called in about somebody else's property, whatever the case is, you know, you can get that status update. You can also see any property and just see what the history of violations are. So that made it really, really, uh, beneficial to public. So we have a, this code enforcement dashboard that now is live in public that's, uh, you know, that's updated daily, more frequently than daily, actually by the minute, by the hour. And you can actually go in and check the status of code enforcement violation. It was so utilized that now even our 3 1 1 department will sometimes use it to check the status of a code enforcement complaint instead of like going into the database to check, uh, uh, a sell off for, for that. You know, that, that, what I say is a tool that has become really, really popular and, um, is is there for the benefit of the public.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Oh. So how does the public access that, how, how can they find out more about BC stat and all the things that you guys do and these dashboards? Yeah,
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Our, our website is baltimorecountymd.gov/bcstat. And, uh, it's, you can, you can navigate it from the Baltimore County main page. Um, and it has, once you get into that page, you can go to dashboards. And we have a, a ton of dashboards. We have the code enforcement dashboard, we have a, a, um, crime dashboard. We have, uh, a water quality dashboard. We have a food restaurant closure dashboard. We have, um, code enforcement, we have the social determinants of health tool there as well. So you can go on that website and see, uh, any, any of those, um, dashboards. And we're always looking for new dashboards to add. So we also are open to feedback. You can email us at bc stat@baltimorecountymd.gov. If you have any ideas for a possible dashboard, if we can share it, we will. You know, we don't shy away from the data if the data's accurate, clean, you know, and there are no legal reasons for us to push it out to the public. It belongs to the public. And that's, that's what we've done with this website.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Momen, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it. Um, thank you for listening to this episode of the county. This episode was produced with help from the Baltimore County Public Library Media Services. Tune in next time.