To provide efficient, effective services, governmental public health agencies must gather, analyze, and share data. State, Tribal, local and territorial public health agencies share data with each other, federal agencies, research institutions, and other organizations to drive community health improvement. For example, data sharing allows health departments to monitor outbreaks of diseases such as Zika and measles; ensure that hospitals meet patient safety standards; and make sure that restaurants prevent food-borne illnesses by following hygiene standards. Professionals at all levels of a public health agency with different types of expertise, including epidemiology, informatics, law, data governance and information technology, work together to develop data governance and sharing frameworks that protect individuals’ private health information while allowing public health professionals to respond to disease outbreaks and other public health concerns.

To help public health professionals understand core concepts related to data sharing, the Public Health Law Center has developed a series of resources. We continue to add resources to our website so check back regularly.

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      Common Public Health Data Sources

      This resource is intended to provide foundational knowledge on some of the most common public health data sources as well as examples of the state laws that govern them.

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      Do I Need a Data Use Agreement to Share Public Health Data?

      This resource answers some common questions about when a Data Use Agreement is need to disclose public health data.

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      What is a HIPAA Hybrid Entity?

      This fact sheet is intended to provide a general overview of what a HIPAA hybrid entity is and some of the high-level considerations for state, Tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments to assess when determining whether to become a hybrid entity.

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      An Introduction to Legal Agreements that Facilitate Public Health Data Sharing

      To protect health and guide programming, state, Tribal, local, and territorial health departments share data with a range of partners. This factsheet provides an overview of the agreements most used by health departments to share data.

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      Executing Data Use Agreements: A Resource Roundup

      The ability to share, receive, and analyze data is a core function for public health departments facilitated by data use agreements. To assist public health professionals in understanding these agreements, the Public Health Law Center has curated this list of some of the most helpful resources from the field.

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      Tips for Working with Your Agency’s Attorney on Public Health Data Use Agreements

      This resource aims to provide public health managers with guidance on how to work with your agency’s attorney on data use agreements.

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