Strengthening Local Health Department Informatics Capacity Through Advocacy, Education, and Workforce Development

LaMar Hasbrouck
2016 Journal of Public Health Management and Practice  
MD, MPH r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r Our ability to capture data and create linkages among disparate sources of information has increased exponentially in the digital age. When harnessed and leveraged to its full potential, the wealth of information we have about our communities has the potential to greatly improve population health outcomes. To do so,
more » ... l health department (LHD) leaders must effectively use information and information technology (IT) to make strategic decisions that will promote the public's health and well-being. In recent years, several pieces of federal legislation have greatly affected how LHDs access, use, and share information. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 provided the Department of Health and Human Services with the authority to establish programs to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency by promoting health infrastructure technology, including electronic health records and electronic health information exchange. 1 In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act further incentivized health care providers to digitize health information. These changes require LHD leaders to develop and communicate a strategic vision for how informatics, the field specializing in the use of health data to inform decisions that improve community health, can work effectively across their agencies to support their goals. Some health departments have established crosscutting informatics teams that work across their organizations to effectively and efficiently make high-quality information available to program managers and leadership. Small, rural, and underresourced departments may grow their capacity by partnering with other organizations to share services.
doi:10.1097/phh.0000000000000475 pmid:27684615 pmcid:PMC5049957 fatcat:wx2nxxf4hrgoplkyruqoxineh4