Traveling to St. Louis August 18th through the 21st for the Public Health Infrastructure Grant Annual Recipient Convening (PHIG ARC) was a bit of a blast from my past. I remember visiting the Arch as a child and being in awe of its magnitude and grace high above the city. Though it was not as big as I remember, the view from my hotel room did not disappoint…nor did the PHIG ARC meeting itself.
Representing HLN Consulting, my colleague Ken Hughes and I presented our data modernization efforts in assisting Sedgwick County, KS and our poster of key findings (poster recording) andrecommendations from three site visits to VA, MN and RI under ASTHO’s Data Modernization Technical Assistance (DMTA). A forum of over 500 attendees at PHIG ARC, as well as numerous others who listened in virtually, generated a positive buzz in highlighting efforts underway and a willingness to share and learn best practices, tools
and techniques that drive data modernization progress within states, local health departments, territories and tribes (STLTs). The ARC was both informative and inspirational.
While the event kicked off in recognition of the horrific tragedy that transpired at the CDC campus in Atlanta on August 8th, Dr. Joseph Kanter’s opening remarks highlighted the tenacity, persistence and dedication of public health workers and their efforts to rise above the current challenges and ensure the health and well-being of the general population within our communities, country and world.
CDC held a listening session with attendees that was “standing room only.” Hearing the challenges and issues directly from participants was illuminating in terms of the attacks on public health facing us all. It is not clear how the CDC will or whether they actually can mitigate these challenges, but providing the forum for STLTs to voice their frustrations, concerns, and passions was appreciated and needed.
As someone deeply engaged in HLN’s support of Immunization Information Systems (IIS) and an advocate of the A3 funding that enables public health departments to build upon the initial PHIG grants in modernizing their IIS as a critical data source, I was a bit disheartened to see so few immunization program staff at ARC, though not surprised. Many STLTs maintain their PHIG grants at the state or local level, rather than within the programs, so participants included Principal Investigators (PIs), Workforce Directors, Data Modernization Directors and Evaluators who are actively spearheading activities within their locales and organizations, including IIS-centric initiatives.
Data Modernization and Disease Surveillance were key topics of the forum, with a number of state surveillance staff in attendance, presenting their efforts and achievements to date, and participating in several discussion panels. Data modernization activities and workforce initiatives were highlighted throughout the meeting with STLTs sharing their insights, perspectives, and experiences in pursuing their modernization goals, specifically in relation to electronic case reporting (eCR) and onboarding.
Attending PHIG ARC 2025 provided a broader perspective of the data modernization efforts happening across the country and the people who are actively championing the need to update the technology, enhance the workforce skillsets and capabilities, and promote easier access and utilization of public health data. ARC was an opportunity to recognize and share the achievements and progress being made in modernizing public health, which is so crucial at this time.