The CDC Foundation Announces New Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI) to Help Fast-Track Improvements to Public Health Data Infrastructure

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed cracks in America’s public health data infrastructure; WAI to place approximately 140 data and technology professionals to advance information system improvements in 49 U.S. jurisdictions, territories and Tribal authorities

ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Across the nation, many public health systems rely on outdated technologies and disconnected information systems—a challenging reality highlighted during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Improving these systems requires updated technologies, increased funding, new policies and additional skilled technical professionals at all levels of public health. The CDC Foundation announced today a new Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI) to help meet the technology workforce needs of the nation’s public health systems by providing additional technology and data experts to support accelerated information system improvements.

With more modern and integrated systems, public health authorities (PHAs) will be better equipped to rapidly detect and respond to new threats, make more informed and timely decisions, and deliver healthier outcomes for the populations they serve. WAI is supported by a nearly $74 million award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through a partnership with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and is designed to support CDC’s Public Health Data Strategy.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw the devastating impact of cracks in America’s public health data infrastructure. For example, some health departments sent COVID-19 data to CDC by fax, which crimped the flow of data, slowed decision-making and created a drag on the pandemic response. That drag was not a new challenge for the nation’s under-resourced public health system,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “The Workforce Acceleration Initiative will help fuel information system improvements needed today, and it will infuse skilled talent across local, state and territorial authorities to help strengthen the public health workforce of tomorrow.”

“CDC has responded to the call from agencies across the nation to expand the public health workforce by adding more technical experts,” said Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, director for CDC’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. “This significant investment in the Workforce Acceleration Initiative will advance CDC’s Public Health Data Strategy to address gaps in public health data; provide timely and accurate data; reduce the complexity of data exchange between public health partners, healthcare organizations and the public; and improve positive health outcomes for all.”  

Recruiting and hiring are already underway to place 140 tech and data experts into 49 selected state, Tribal, local and territorial (STLT) PHAs across the nation. These placements will include experts in engineering, software development, IT infrastructure, informatics and IT project management, to name several skills. The CDC Foundation has prioritized selecting PHAs that have been especially limited in their ability to modernize their information systems due to workforce gaps and fewer resources.

The following selected PHAs reflect a diverse cross-section of authorities, ranging from county or city PHAs that serve jurisdictions with more than 100,000 residents to Tribal and territorial PHAs that may serve fewer than 100,000 residents:

• Alaska Department of Health
• Austin Public Health (Texas)
• Bear River Health Department (Northern Utah)
• Boston Public Health Commission (Massachusetts)
• California Department of Public Health
• California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. California Tribal Epidemiology Center (Roseville, CA)
• Cameron County Public Health (Cameron County, TX)
• City of El Paso Department of Public Health (El Paso, TX)
• City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (San Antonio, TX)
• Cleveland Department of Public Health (Ohio)
• County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health (California)
• County of Marin, Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Division (California)
• County of Santa Clara Public Health Department (California)
• DC Department of Health (Washington, D.C.)
• Eau Claire City-County Health Department (Wisconsin)
• Franklin County Public Health (Ohio)
• Great Lakes Inter – Tribal Epidemiology Center (Lac Du Flambeau, WI)
• Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board – Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (Rapid City, SD)
• Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services
• Hamilton County General Health District (Ohio)
• Harris County (Texas)
• Illinois Department of Public Health
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health
• Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (Kentucky)
• Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an Agency of Maine Department of Health and Human Services
• Maricopa County Department of Public Health (Arizona)
• Mecklenburg County Health Department (North Carolina)
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• Multnomah County Health Department (Oregon)
• Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health
• New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (New York)
• North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services
• Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (Tribes in Idaho, Oregon and Washington)
• Oklahoma State Department of Health
• Pima County Health Department (Arizona)
• State of Rhode Island Department of Health
• Salt Lake County Health Department (Utah)
• Snohomish County Health Department (Washington)
• South Carolina Department of Public Health
• South Dakota Department of Health
• State of Hawaii Department of Health
• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (Washington)
• The Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (Indiana)
• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Public Health Department (North Dakota)
• Vermont Department of Health
• Virgin Islands Department of Health
• West Virginia Bureau for Public Health

To learn more about or to apply for jobs with WAI, visit cdcfoundation.org/workforceacceleration.

The Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI) is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a cooperative agreement with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) with a financial assistance award totaling $73,945,916 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government. 

About the CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $2.2 billion and launched more than 1,400 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of programs in the United States and in more than 80 countries last year. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org. Follow the CDC Foundation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter and TikTok.

SOURCE CDC Foundation

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