Common Ground grants go to 31 public health agencies throughout the U.S.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has launched Common Ground: Transforming Public Health Information Systems, a three-year, $15 million national initiative. The program will help state and local public health agencies better respond to health threats by improving their use of information systems. RWJF has awarded Common Ground grants—15 grants for up to $30,000 and 16 grants for up to $600,000—to 31 public health agencies throughout the country. (See grantee list.)

"We hope to develop a shared understanding of public health work and identify areas of commonality among public health agencies," said Dave Ross, Sc.D., director of the Common Ground National Program Office at the Public Health Informatics Institute. "The Common Ground program offers public health agencies the opportunity to collaboratively develop requirements for more effective information systems and better data exchange."

Common Ground seeks to:

• Persuade public health agencies to integrate informatics principles and sound development methodologies to improve the delivery of public health services.
• Examine existing public health service business processes—and define requirements for the information systems used to support these processes.
• Help agencies develop new information system requirements that are more effective and that streamline the delivery of essential public health services.
• Minimize duplicative efforts by identifying common business processes and information system requirements that are applicable across the pubic health field.
• Encourage stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels to endorse, adopt, and implement redesigned business processes and information system requirements that support public health preparedness and chronic disease prevention and control. 

"Our goal is to accelerate the innovative and effective use of information technology by state and local public health agencies," said Terry Bazzarre, Ph.D., RWJF senior program officer. "We recognize that public health agencies need more sophisticated information systems to respond to pandemic flu, bioterrorism, chronic diseases and other threats to our health and safety."

Recent developments in health information technology create tremendous opportunities for public health agencies. Common Ground will build on these developments to help public health agencies improve their business processes and enhance the way they communicate and work with the health care system.

Questions?
If you have questions about Common Ground, please visit our list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If your question is not addressed in the FAQs, please contact the NPO at commonground@phii.org.