Build and strengthen epidemiology, laboratory and health information systems to detect, respond, prevent and control known and (re-) emerging infectious diseases in Ohio. - The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) works with 111 local health departments (LHDs) to meet the ODH mission to The Ohio Department of Health’s mission is advancing the health and well-being of all Ohioans by transforming the state’s public health system through unique partnerships and funding streams; addressing the community conditions and inequities that lead to disparities in health outcomes; and implementing data-driven, evidence-based solutions. For nearly 11.7 million Ohio residents by preventing disease, promoting good health and assuring access to quality care. There are 88 counties in Ohio and each has a minimum of 1 LHD (there are 23 city health departments). All local health departments are autonomous, however, ODH staff (epidemiology, laboratory, health information systems) work closely with all of the 111 LHDs. ODH provides information technology systems, such as the electronic Ohio infectious diseases reporting system (ODRS), technical assistance and training, outbreak investigation support either by telephone or on-site, data analytics training, data visualization training, access to data across systems, tools and resources for data analytics, and laboratory assistance. ODH is organized around core public health responsibilities that are addressed in the ELC cooperative agreement and covered by the following bureaus: Bureau of Infectious Diseases (BID): Prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases and assist LHDs, healthcare facilities, clinicians across Ohio in disease/outbreak investigations and public health emergencies; Bureau of Environmental Health and Radiation Protection (BEHRP): Assess and monitor environmental factors that potentially impact public health including air, water, soil, food; Bureau of Public Health Laboratory (ODHL): Assist ODH Epi, LHDs, and clinicians across Ohio in infectious disease investigations and identification of pathogens to aid in treatment and prevention by screening for diseases of public health interest, providing reference support for confirmation of low incidence infectious agents, identifying matches to laboratory outbreak patterns; Office of IDEA: Assists internal staff and LHD staff in leveraging the power of informatics, data, epidemiology, and analytics to modernize public health policy and decision making that will drive measurable improvements in health outcomes for all Ohioans; Bureau of HIV, STIs, Viral Hepatitis: Prevent and control the spread of HIV, STIs and viral hepatitis and assist LHDs, healthcare facilities, clinicians across Ohio, provide care, surveillance and treatment for the diseases mentioned. The ODH Executive Team helps the Director of Health formulate the agency’s strategic policy goals and objectives. The team is composed of the Chief of Staff, the Medical Director, the State Epidemiologist, Assistant Health Director, the General Counsel, and Hospital Preparedness quality Assurance Specialist. The BID, BEHRP, BHSH, and ODHL Chiefs report to the Medical Director and are part of the senior management team, which meets monthly. IDEA reports to the State Epidemiologist and PD for ELC who reports progress about ELC to ELT as needed. . Health department leadership gets briefed on ELC activities on a regular basis by the PI/State Epidemiologist/IDEA Director. Issues identified by the ELC Governance Team or bureau chiefs will be discussed with Executive Leadership Team made up of Chief of Staff, the Medical Director, the State Epidemiologist, Assistant Health Director, the General Counsel, and Hospital Preparedness quality Assurance Specialist to ensure progress continues and obstacles are addressed timely. As the ELC Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) programs and projects have steadily developed and incorporated more epidemiology, environmental, laboratory, and health information systems activities, efficient and consistent integration and coordination is critical. The ODH ELC Governance Team, chaired by the Project Director will meet monthly wit
