Public Health Infrastructure Partners Launch National Implementation Center Program to Support Data Modernization

CDC-funded program will accelerate data exchange between healthcare and public health to drive timely, data-informed public health action 

ARLINGTON, Va., July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), and Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) today announced the launch of a new Implementation Center Program to support public health agencies as they modernize their data systems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided $255M in funding through the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) for the new program, which will provide tailored support and technical implementation services to accelerate adoption of the latest health information technology standards for data exchange.

“Fast and reliable sharing of data between healthcare, public health, and among public health authorities is key to our ability to detect and respond to new and emerging threats, improve health outcomes, and promote health equity,” says Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, Director for CDC’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. “These Implementation Centers will provide direct support to health departments to adopt new technology and data standards to better connect healthcare data into the public health ecosystem. This means more complete, secure, and faster sharing of data to inform public health actions.”

The Implementation Center Program builds upon previous investments made through PHIG, a major federal investment supporting U.S. infrastructure needs and will expand the number of public health agencies eligible to receive support. The goal of the program is to reduce the burden on public health agencies, health care systems and providers, labs, and other data providers to seamlessly exchange information for rapid detection of and response to health threats.

“The Implementations Centers will bolster vital public health data modernization efforts,” says Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH, ASTHO CEO. “This effort builds on the important investment that CDC is making into public health infrastructure, with the understanding that data modernization is not a one-time endeavor but rather an ongoing effort essential to the operation of modern, effective health departments.”

“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. Our future data ecosystem cannot look the same as it did during the COVID pandemic,” says J.T. Lane, MPH, ASTHO’s senior vice president of population health and innovation. “ASTHO is thrilled to be partnering with NNPHI and PHAB with the support of CDC to bolster the public health informatics workforce; strengthen data systems, processes and policies; and deploy scalable, flexible, and sustainable technologies.”

The Implementation Center Program includes three Implementation Centers that will provide direct technical implementation services to public health agencies with a fourth Implementation Center to support tribal health agencies and tribal-serving organizations in their data modernization efforts.

ASTHO, NNPHI, and PHAB are pleased to announce the selection of CRISP Shared Services, Guidehouse, and Mathematica to serve as the three Implementation Centers. The Implementation Center Program aims to benefit public health agencies across the country, whether directly through participation in the program or indirectly through resources such as guidance documents, webinars, and other offerings that synthesize findings and emerging lessons learned from the program.

“State, territorial, and local health departments face ongoing challenges in ensuring that their communities are afforded high-quality public health programs and services,” says Paul Kuehnert, DNP, RN, FAAN, PHAB president and CEO. “The Implementation Center Program will address these challenges and assist in improving the quality and effectiveness of health departments for millions of Americans. This is a monumental investment in our public health system that will facilitate more effective collaboration throughout our nation.”   

The PHIG National Partners published a request for proposals (RFP) for the Tribal Implementation Center on Monday, June 10, 2024. The RFP is available at NNPHI Funding Announcements. Proposal responses are due July 28, 2024.

“The PHIG National Partners will be working directly with Tribal partners to launch a Tribal Implementation Center,” says Chris Tall Bear, Tribal Public Health Advisor for NNPHI. “This center will move tribal public health systems toward modern, standards-based approaches that result in more timely and complete data exchange among public health agencies, healthcare providers treating American Indian/Alaska Native populations, and tribal-serving organizations. Tribes and tribal-serving organizations will play a central role in designing solutions to unique data challenges while maintaining sovereignty over their data.”  

More information about the Implementation Center Program can be found at the PHIG Partners website.

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.

The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is the official organization representing 50 public health institutes in 41 states spanning all ten Department of Health and Human Services regions. NNPHI supports national public health system initiatives and strengthens public health institutes to promote multi sector activities resulting in measurable improvements of public health structures, systems, and outcomes. NNPHI also serves as the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training – NCCPHT. To learn more about NNPHI, visit nnphi.org.

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is a 501(c)(3) organization and is the sole national accrediting body for public health in the U.S. PHAB supports health departments in their work to serve their communities with many tools and resources, and helps strengthen health department infrastructure, workforce, and data modernization efforts to promote public health system transformation.

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