Online Program

Panel Discussion

Significant efforts are underway to improve access to federal health data for local communities as one of the strategies to improve community health and quality of life (NCVHS, 2011). The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics as part of its work has examined how local communities can become “learning health systems” (IOM, 2011) to improve community health. The framework of the learning health system is that people, actions, results and knowledge when connected empower communities to improve health on a local level (NCVHS, 2011). In the era of digital data there is great potential for harnessing this data which is a crucial resource that should be considered an invaluable public asset in the pursuit of better care, improved health, and lower health care costs. This session will examine data as public goods and ways to ensure its use for local public health efforts. Small locally developed data projects focusing on improving the quality of life in local communities are emerging rapidly and eager to take advantage of using such data to improve the health of their communities. These plans rely on data—both quantitative and qualitative—and tools and processes such as Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) and County Health rankings, to bring communities together to identify priorities and initiate action. As the federal government increases efforts to make data available there are a number of lessons to learn about how this health data can support community driven change for health improvements. This session will explore tools, measures, policies and practices for developing these ‘community health learning systems’ from several perspectives and engage session participants in a discussion of ways in which health data can be employed to support community driven change.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe the concept of the learning health system. 2. Evaluate the consequences of health data policy choices on public health and health care policy. 3. Discuss effective strategies to bring and maintain diverse voices in generating new knowledge in communities 4. Identify the necessary building block of collaboration between local, state and federal partners in order to move data from information to action

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)