​Assessing and Advancing Public Health Data Modernization in Colorado
June 2025

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To keep pace with emerging technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, local public health agencies (LPHAs) across Colorado from urban to rural to frontier communities must be equipped to participate meaningfully in ways that help them improve data access and utilization to address rapidly emerging health challenges.  

To advance this work, the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) partnered with the Colorado Health Institute to conduct a capacity assessment that considers the unique needs of LPHAs across the state and identifies action steps for LPHAs, CALPHO, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to increase LPHA data capacity.

As a result, CALPHO is pleased to share the final report “Assessing and Advancing Public Health Data Modernization in Colorado.” 

• ​This report is the culmination of many interviews and discussions with public health partners across the state.
  
• It offers insights and practical recommendations for work in three key areas: strategy, technology, and people.
  
• It identifies ways that all LPHAs, regardless of resources, can participate in data modernization.

Map of LPHA Participants in the assessment process

In parallel to this work, the state’s Public Health Data Modernization Initiative Advisory Committee convened by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) has made recommendations for a unified public health data approach that aligns with the CALPHO findings and leverages opportunities at a state level. The unified data approach contains:

• A description of current data access processes, challenges and opportunities; and,
  
• Recommendations for supporting strategic alignment on public health data use, and access that will improve outcomes for all public health agencies across Colorado.

Finally, this effort aligns well with the 2025 Colorado Health IT Roadmap developed by the Colorado Office of eHealth Innovation (OeHI) and eHealth Commission. The Roadmap is a strategic plan for integrating policy, funding, and shared technology solutions across state agencies and community partners.

During the next several months CALPHO will work closely with CDPHE to develop a Roadmap and implementation plan that integrates with other efforts underway and leverages impact across all data modernization efforts. CALPHO will reach out to LPHA’s when there is an opportunity to further participate in the development of the implementation plan.
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Thanks to the Colorado Health Institute and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment for their work in the development and partnership with implementing this process among LPHA’s across the state of Colorado and to all who actively participated in this work.  Special thanks to the Office of eHealth Innovation for their funding and support in helping to bring this project to fruition.

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An LPHA data modernization toolkit will be available on this site in early September