Accelerating efforts in a time of pandemic to modernize the U.S. public health system's approach to disease surveillance

The Foundation's initiative, Transforming Public Health Data Systems to Advance Health Equity, was designed to fund national analyses and timely, short-term grantmaking to inform an expert panel that will recommend a comprehensive approach to support the transformation of data-related policies and practices in public health and health-related sectors to improve health equity, as well as recommend directions for RWJF's future strategic funding in this area. This project will convene national public health partners and state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health department staffs and develop recommendations about transforming public health data and data infrastructure. For the United States to effectively manage COVID-19 and future public health challenges, it must modernize the infrastructure for surveillance so that STLT public health departments can make timely data-driven decisions. To obtain relevant information about innovative practices and local and state health departments' needs and current plans, the grantee will partner with and listen to health department staffs, including those from a few large metropolitan health departments. The project team will seek guidance from individuals from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Association of County and City Health Officers, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, Association of Public Health Laboratories, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a workgroup. Project deliverables will include up to two white papers, at least one of which will be delivered in April 2021, and a communications toolkit for STLT health departments.