Senators Call For Robust CDC Data Modernization Initiative Funding to Ensure Public Health Preparedness

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – With the COVID-19 pandemic revealing dire deficiencies in the public health system, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) led a group of nine Senators calling for increased funding for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data modernization initiative. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senators stressed the need for this additional funding in upcoming coronavirus relief legislation to ensure public health departments have the necessary secure technology and skilled workforce in place to prepare for and respond to public health crises.

“More than ever, it is critical to have a strong national public health surveillance system that detects and facilitates responses to emerging, and existing, health threats. The exchange of public health data from health care providers to public health officials is critical to a coordinated, timely, and effective response—and can save lives,” the Senators wrote. “Funding dedicated to a data modernization initiative would allow CDC, state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to move from sluggish, manual, paper-based data collection to seamless, automated, and secure IT systems. Similarly, the funding would allow CDC to invest in hiring a workforce that is trained to handle epidemiological data and IT systems.”

As they have grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, public health departments across the country have been forced to rely on antiquated methods, including pen and paper, faxes, and manual entry, hindering effective response. Health providers have been unable to share electronic health records directly with health departments, which has delayed identification and response. The Senators also raised concerns with the limited data included in the CDC’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program – which will be increasingly relied upon to assess reopening efforts across the country – as nearly 30 percent of all emergency department visits are not submitted to the program, and pointed to it as another example of a public health tool in need of immediate improvement.

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Angus King (I-ME).

The full text of the letter is available here.

-30-