Friday, June 6, 2025
6/6/2025
Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems - This summary outlines the City of El Paso Department of Public Health’s (CEPDPH) objective to transform public health in the city and surrounding jurisdictions into a modernized public health system with the goal of protecting and improving the health of all residents. Consistent with El Paso’s strategic goals, CEPDPH aims to nurture and promote a healthy, sustainable community. This approach is person centered, equity focused, and data driven. CEPDPH envisions a strong local public health infrastructure in all communities built upon partnerships fostered with key stakeholders across a multitude of sectors to address health disparities and social determinants of health, such that we foster the conditions in which everyone can be healthy regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, geography, or income level. With a focus on equity, CEPDPH must address the full range of factors that influence a person's overall health and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest and most pervasive public health emergency in recent El Paso history. While El Paso's COVID-19 response has been successful across several measures, it has also exposed new challenges and brought several existing issues to the forefront including, but not limited to: health equity concerns with racial/ethnic and socio-geographic disparities in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths; implementation of testing, contact tracing, and vaccine infrastructure with insufficient historical investment for current needs; insufficient staffing with adequate training public health; and the difficulty of using outdated, under-resourced and decentralized current IT systems and capabilities, which at times hampered the ability to manage the volume and dynamics of dealing with a pandemic caused by a novel virus. CEPDPH's plan under Workforce includes positions to increase staffing capacity and to attract, develop, and retain a diverse, multi-disciplinary public health workforce. Under Foundational Capabilities, CEPDPH intends to pursue accreditation through Public Health Accreditation Board. Currently, a number of standards and measures can be supported by recent and programs implemented by CEPDPH during COVID-19 response. Data modernization will expand capabilities by implementing $900,000 to expand public health capabilities. This expansion will increase data collection, data integration and data management activities, and utilize data to design metrics and provide performance reports on chronic diseases and increasing emerging threats. The goal is to modernize El Paso’s public health infrastructure and transition to a resilient system rather than one dependent on intermittent short-term funding for various public health emergencies. The investments outlined in this application are intended to begin the process of transforming the public health landscape in El Paso and accelerate the city toward a 21st century public health system.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).