Making Good Things Happen
A blog that informs our clients about real world topics related to what we do as Scale Strategic Solutions!
Broadening Access: Hacking for Inclusion
By Calista H Smith
“Reimagine Work. Broaden Access. Strengthen Communities.” These were the themes for MIT’s 2021 Hack for Inclusion. Hackathons are an opportunity for programmers, project managers, subject matter experts, and other interested parties to come together for a short period of time, usually a day or weekend, to design a project. These events operate as competition-style design sprints to draw up solutions to real world problems.
I joined the virtual Hack for Inclusion and chose the challenge of “Building Anti-Biased Algorithms” sponsored by Liberty Mutual. It was my privilege to work with a great team of people that I had never met from England, the Philippines, and the US. We discussed the challenges in insurance and financial services in mitigating bias in algorithms and artificial intelligence. We came up with an app concept with a working title “TrustIt.” Such a fun and refreshing experience with creative minds who all brought something valuable to the team.
While we were addressing a complex equity and inclusion problem, we had the assets of a diverse and inclusive team that was equity minded. May we tackle all our problems in such fashion.

In today’s data-driven world, local health departments (LHDs) play a critical role in shaping community health and advancing equity. Yet, to do this effectively, they need more than just national trends, they need access to localized, granular data that reflects the real conditions on the ground. Data sharing is not only a technical challenge but a strategic community-focused practice. When LHDs collaborate with community organizations such as schools, hospitals, social service agencies and law enforcement, they unlock new pathways to address public health challenges more effectively. Local data allows communities to identify emerging health threats, evaluate the impact of programs, and understand how the Social Determinants of Health influence well-being. Scale Strategic Solutions, in partnership with D.E.E.P. Consultants and Strategik513, is proud to announce the development of a robust, strategic roadmap designed to support public health professionals in leveraging data to improve population health outcomes and reduce disparities. Our team of subject matter experts collaborated closely with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and local health departments to gain firsthand insights into the challenges and opportunities surrounding data sharing practices. This discovery process informed the creation of two key resources aimed at building data capacity in the field. The "Increasing Data Sharing Capacity for Local Health Departments" asynchronous training, alongside the complementary Data Sharing Resource Guide , are now available on NACCHO University , the organization’s online learning platform. At Scale, we are committed to advancing the culture of data sharing within public health ecosystems. These resources were developed to meet practitioners where they are, offering flexible, high-impact tools to drive meaningful improvements in health equity and data-driven decision-making. If your organization is interested in learning more or would benefit from a customized training solution tailored to your specific data sharing needs, we invite you to contact us . Together, we can empower local health leaders with the tools and knowledge needed to transform data into action.