The South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) plans to maintain and increase epidemiology and laboratory capacity in the following program areas of the ELC Cooperative Agreement: Cross-cutting Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity; ELC Leadership, Management, and Administration; Health Information System (HIS) Capacity; Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD); Cross-Cutting Emerging Issues; Enteric, Foodborne, Waterborne, and Zoonotic Diseases. Surveillance, Detection, Response, Reporting, and Prevention; Healthcare-associated Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Antibiotic Stewardship; Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network); Enhanced Surveillance for Vaccine-Preventable Disease (VPD) and Respiratory Diseases; and Vector-borne Diseases and Tick-Associated Conditions.
These funding areas support core DOH programs areas, including infectious disease testing, data collection for surveillance, staff training, routine and outbreak investigations, and the analysis and dissemination of health information.
Through the HIS Capacity program, DOH will enhance the interoperability, data sharing capabilities, and infrastructure of existing health information systems, which will enable prompt and seamless data exchange from health entities. The integration of electronic health records, public health surveillance systems, and other health information sources will enable comprehensive data analysis, strengthening disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and response efforts. DOH aims to improve the capacity of health professionals and stakeholders to effectively utilize health information systems by providing training, technical assistance, and resources to enhance data collection, quality assessment, and analysis skills.
By developing and sustaining a robust public health system, DOH will foster collaboration among key community and healthcare stakeholders, facilitation of data-driven health decisions, implementation of evidence-based public health interventions, and improvement of health outcomes in SD communities.
