The US Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), and the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) have collaboratively launched a new Implementation Center Program.
This initiative is aimed at supporting public health agencies in modernising their data systems.
It is designed to provide tailored support and technical implementation services to expedite the adoption of the latest health information technology (IT) standards for data exchange.
A significant $255m in funding has been provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG), to support the programme.
Building on previous investments made through the PHIG, this major federal investment supports US infrastructure needs and will broaden the range of public health agencies eligible for assistance.
According to the ASTHO, the overarching goal of the programme is to alleviate the burden on public health agencies, providers, healthcare systems, laboratories, and other data providers by facilitating the seamless exchange of information.
The move will also help in swiftly detecting and responding to health threats.
The Implementation Center Program encompasses three Implementation Centers tasked with providing direct technical implementation services to public health agencies.
In addition, a fourth Implementation Center will be established to aid tribal health agencies and tribal-serving organisations in their data modernisation endeavours.
ASTHO, NNPHI, and PHAB have selected CRISP Shared Services, Guidehouse, and Mathematica to operate as the three Implementation Centers.
These organisations will offer direct support to public health agencies in their efforts to modernise data systems.
ASTHO highlighted that the programme will benefit public health agencies nationwide, either directly through participation or indirectly via resources, such as guidance documents, webinars, and other materials that compile programme findings and emerging lessons learned.
A call for proposals for the Tribal Implementation Center was issued by the PHIG National Partners on 10 June 2024, with proposal responses due by 28 July 2024.
ASTHO population health and innovation senior vice-president J T Lane said: “In addition to accelerating data exchange for public health action, the Implementation Center Program is a transformative opportunity to innovate the public health, health care, lab, and technology sectors data pipeline.”
