State Department of Health receives $1.1 million grant to update its data systems

HONOLULU—A $1.1 million U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant has been awarded to the Hawaii State Department of Health to improve its ability to provide health services. The federal funding is made possible through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, which has been created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The federal funding will go toward upgrading the State Department of Health’s data systems. The upgrade is expected to improve the Health Department’s ability to evaluate its programs as well as update several key internal information systems described as “improved communications of internal systems and an enhanced vital statistics system model.”

The system improvements are part of a national initiative to improve service quality and reduce medical costs by upgrading health information technology infrastructure.

The office of Congresswoman Mazie Hirono said Hawaii residents will specifically benefit from improved surveillance and response to disease outbreaks as well as with combating preventable childhood diseases.