“A Department of Health and Human Services office is fostering a culture of applied data to drive innovation and research in its mission to increase the public’s access to community supports in areas including elderly care and domestic violence.”
“The Office of Performance and Evaluation within HHS’ Administration for Community Living has developed a newfound embrace of data analytics that Director Susan Jenkins said has drawn from preexisting expertise within HHS overall and also required encouraging curiosity and engagement with the tool even among non-technical employees…”
“Curiosity and engagement are starting points for the agency to comprehensively leverage applied data, said Jenkins, who assumed her role at the ACL in 2016. The agency is pairing this approach with intra-departmental collaboration by involving structural changes from the top.”
“’We are also starting up a Data Council this year,’ Jenkins said. ‘All operating divisions will have a seat at the table.’”
“In line with this movement toward leveraging big data analysis across HHS, the agency’s Data Council has been organized with the intent of propelling further innovation by codifying data collection strategies and coordinating analysis. Much of the Data Council’s mission is currently focused on meeting the requirements of the The Foundations for Evidence Based Policymaking Act of 2018, particularly in terms of using proprietary data to inform core HHS functions.”
“This commitment to applied data is already having a noticeable impact, Jenkins said, such as by helping HHS better allocate resources to pressing areas of concern. The potential applications for public health are considerable…” Read the full article here.
Source: Administration for Community Living Leading Data Innovation within HHS – By Adam Patterson, November 26, 2019. GovernmentCIO.
