CS313348-A December 2019

PUBLIC HEALTH DATA MODERNIZATION INITIATIVE:

HARNESSING THE POWER OF DATA TO SAVE LIVES

Opioids, suicide, and flu are stealing American lives. Life expectancy has headed downward. 

With every new challenge, our need for faster, more accurate public health data grows.

THE RISK IS REAL

Diseases are moving faster 

than the data we use to stop them. 

America needs – and expects – faster, 

better health data that can outpace the 

life-threatening epidemics of today and 

tomorrow.

That is why CDC needs investments to 

modernize the systems that protect our nation 

against expensive and dangerous health 

threats and respond when they arise. 

" The nation’s public 

health data systems 

are antiquated and in dire 

need of security upgrades 

– paper records, phone calls, 

spreadsheets and faxes requiring 

manual data entry are still in 

widespread use and have significant 

consequences including delayed 

detection and response, lost time, 

missed opportunities, and lost lives.

— Janet Hamilton," 

Director of Science and Policy, 

Council of State and Territorial 

Epidemiologists (CSTE)

WE USE DATA TO...

DETECT

Monitor disease levels 

to recognize changes 

that may signal a threat

TRACK

Identify and analyze 

health trends and 

measure results

TAKE ACTION

Make smarter, faster 

public health decisions

PREDICT & PREVENT

Get ahead of 

urgent and/or 

developing threats
2.8 M

192

24/7

WE NEED BETTER DATA NOW

We rely on data to find and face our most urgent health threats. CDC is charting a course to a 

future where public health data drives action in real time – efficiently, flexibly, rapidly, and with impact. The 

CDC Public Health Data Modernization Initiative is a strategic imperative bringing together technology, 

partnerships, and a deep bench of scientific expertise to harness the lifesaving power of data.

CDC’S ACTION FOR TRANSFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY 

Modernize our systems to create state-of-the-art, fully interoperable systems and tools 

KNOWLEDGE 

Strengthen the public health workforce in data science, informatics, and IT systems 

LEADERSHIP 

Coordinate data and IT investments through strong leadership and governance 

ACCESS 

Increase capacity to share public health data and make better use of existing data 

COLLABORATION 

Support our digital transformation by growing and expanding public and private 

partnerships

PUTTING DATA TO WORK

CDC monitors specific public health crises, like the ongoing epidemic of drug overdoses and deaths and 

the recent lung injuries and deaths related to e-cigarette use, or vaping. Our nation and communities need 

timely and trustworthy data to track evolving health trends and take effective action. 

CDC’s National Vital Statistics System analyzes ~2.8 million U.S. deaths 

annually to identify what people are dying from so we can save more lives

Our data reveal that, on average, 192 people in the U.S. die every day from 

a drug overdose

CDC uses cloud technology to monitor 4 million health messages from ER 

visits every day – including those related to drug overdoses, vaping, natural 

disasters, and more – to quickly detect events that may require a response

Learn more at: www.cdc.gov/surveillance