Key Objectives:
Discuss the interrelationship between PHEP Capability 6—Information Sharing, Capability 12—Public Health Laboratory Testing, and Capability 13–Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation
Encourage PHEP work plans that prioritize surveillance and informatics enhancements and integrate with activities funded by other federal grants and cooperative agreements
Understand challenges with implementing surveillance and informatics solutions within state, local and territorial public health jurisdictions
Identify promising practices and creative solutions to improving surveillance and informatics
Brief Summary:
In 2015, CDC conducted a formal review of their PHEP program and identified a need to advance state, local and territorial public health surveillance and informatics capabilities in support of the CDC’s 2011 Public Health Preparedness Capabilities: National Standards for State and Local Planning and the 2014 CDC Surveillance Strategy. Additionally, the PHEP Program Review Committee recommended supplementing the number of public health informatics staff working in state and local health departments with informatics field assignees, trainees, or fellows. Toward that end, CDC recommends that state, local and territorial public health jurisdictions plan to continue or increase support of public health surveillance and informatics activities during the next 5-year PHEP cooperative agreement cycle (expected Fall, 2018). PHEP investments (i.e., funds, staff, and direct assistance) should support activities such as the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) Modernization Initiative, the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP), electronic death records (EDR), electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) and other projects that seek to advance public health surveillance and informatics capability. Additionally, work plans supported with PHEP cooperative agreement funding should include input from State Laboratory Directors, State Epidemiologists, IT/Informatics Directors or specifically designated individuals empowered by these authorities.