“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a bright spotlight on the nation’s public health infrastructure and underscored the need for investment in and development of comprehensive, flexible and interoperable data systems to track and address both chronic health challenges as well as future infectious disease outbreaks. Last week, organizations and individuals representing a variety of sectors gathered for the second summit in the Lights, Camera, Action: The Future of Public Health summit series to discuss the critical topic of data modernization and its link to better health outcomes for all.”
“’Our ultimate goal is to move from siloed and brittle public health data systems to connected, resilient, adaptable and sustainable ‘response-ready’ systems,’ said Daniel B. Jernigan, MD, MPH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) deputy director for Public Health Science and Surveillance. ‘Having these systems in place can help us solve problems before they happen and reduce the harm caused by the problems that do happen, whether it’s addressing longstanding issues like health equity or preparing our nation for the next infectious or non-infectious threat…'”
“Jernigan noted that progress is being made in the public health community in this regard compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, with now more than 10,300 healthcare facilities using electronic case reporting versus 187 previously. In addition, he said that data pipelines have advanced to inform action on the part of public health professionals with more than 530 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines being tracked in just over a year and clinical and environmental labs now sharing more than 1.5 million results per day with CDC.”
“But much work remains, ranging from improvements needed in how the public, public health, healthcare and other sectors use new technologies to creating standards and future-forward data systems that enable real-time and actionable intelligence in service to the public’s health…”
“In light of new resources and unprecedented funding, a number of speakers highlighted the opportunity this moment presents to build and connect data systems and prepare the workforce to use data to its full potential…” Read the full article here.
Source: Summit Emphasizes Critical Need for Modern, Interoperable Data Systems to Address Health Threats, Ensure Equitable Health – February 1, 2022. CDC Foundation.
