[Am-info] Feds Propose National Health-Data Network

[Fred A. Miller]

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Feds Propose National Health-Data Network

Homeland-security chief Tom Ridge wants to connect the 50 
states and all public-health departments on one network. Part 
of his plan includes developing a central clearinghouse to 
better share relevant public-health data among doctors, 
government officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.

The development of the network would build on the CDC's 
partially completed Health Alert Network infrastructure, Ridge 
says. Right now, the Health Alert Network lets the CDC send 
information to public-health officials via the Internet, but 
not all states and local agencies have continuous access to the 
Web, in part because of inadequate IT funding for those health 
departments. And, the network tends to support one-way 
communication from the CDC, such as Webcasts on anthrax, rather 
than interaction between the CDC and public-health officials. 
Some officials say the idea for a more robust health data 
network is a good one, but one that's not likely to happen 
without substantial funding from the federal government.

New Mexico's public-health department has been working on its 
own network infrastructure for about 18 months, says Kevin 
Bersell, New Mexico public health's network coordinator. "We've 
done a huge amount of work, and we're ahead of a lot of states 
on this," he says. The barrier for many states and county 
agencies is the expense of high-speed Internet access, which is 
one of the network standards required by the CDC. "Not only is 
it expensive for the communication lines, but staffing is an 
issue, too," Bersell says. Plus, states can't compete with IT 
salaries in the commercial sector. Says Bersell, "An IT expert 
[in the private sector] makes more than the highest-paid person 
in a public-health agency." - Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Read more at
Homeland Security Czar Sees IT As Key Enabler
http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eE280Bce7K0V20S7X0Ay

Mild-Mannered IT Champion
http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eE280Bce7K0V20TGT0AD

- -- 
Fred A. Miller
Systems Administrator
Cornell Univ. Press Services
fm@cupserv.org

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