{"id":392182,"date":"2021-10-29T00:06:35","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T00:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uat.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=392182"},"modified":"2024-08-01T00:18:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T00:18:37","slug":"gis-health-initiatives-align-federal-funding","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/gis-health-initiatives-align-federal-funding","title":{"rendered":"Health GIS Initiatives that Align with Federal Funding Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to this blog series focused on helping health organizations secure funding for their strategic health geographic information system (GIS) initiatives. This installation covers high value health GIS workflows along with ready-to-go solutions that match with federal funding programs, specifically, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Please see my first blog in the series, Your Quick Guide to Security ARP Funding for your Health GIS Strategies<\/a> to learn more about how the ARPA funding supports health.<\/p>\n\n

This funding is a big deal \u2013 it is the beginning of long-awaited investments in our health care and public health systems. The pandemic has exposed and magnified our technical shortcomings. It\u2019s exploited tears in our social fabric, baring the naked truth of societal inequity and resulting health disparity. I think of this funding as an opportunity to course correct the trajectory of our health infrastructure. We cannot wait. We will not automatically do better in the next crisis just by virtue of our lived experience (the Delta variant has demonstrated that). Rather, we must be deliberate in applying lessons learned toward stronger systems and more resilient communities.<\/p>\n\n

The focus of this blog is to help you identify programs where GIS could be useful so that you can advance your organizational mission while also taking advantage of current federal investments in the health sector.<\/p>\n\n

As a reminder, in the first blog, I grouped the various funding opportunities into three distinct buckets as follows:<\/p>\n\n

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  1. Direct funding<\/strong>\u2212 These monies are, as titled, directly allocated to all state and local governments for a variety of health and non-health-related functions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n
  2. Funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)<\/strong>\u2212 These health-focused funds are awarded through the various agencies and offices of U.S. HHS.<\/li>\n\n
  3. Funding from Non-Health Related Agencies<\/strong>\u2212 Several national U.S. agencies not formally related to health are supporting health initiatives through their ARP funds.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    I’ll consistently refer back to these buckets as I discuss five broad categories worthy of GIS investment: <\/h3>\n\n
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    1. Public Health Preparedness and COVID-19 Response and Recovery<\/li>\n\n
    2. Humans in Crisis<\/li>\n\n
    3. Access to Care\/Services<\/li>\n\n
    4. Strategic Planning<\/li>\n\n
    5. Health Equity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

      Feel free to skip around to the areas that are of interest to you. I\u2019ll cover each topic from the geographic solution perspective and offer connections to the specific federal funding buckets most applicable. At the end of this blog, you\u2019ll find a link to a document feature many pre-configured solutions and other resources associated with each of the five categories that can help you get specific in your health GIS strategy and funding objectives and deploy solutions in a matter of days.<\/p>\n\n

      Category 1: Public Health Preparedness and COVID-19 Response and Recovery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

      Emergencies are interesting. They are \u2018all-consuming\u2019 events. And yet, emergencies are also a strong force for change. They provide a sense of urgency that can be used to strengthen systems that might otherwise be allowed to become antiquated or disused. In evidence, I would note the tremendous innovation and effort focused on various evolving needs in this public health emergency, from real-time dashboards to human movement data and global vaccine distribution. One thing is especially clear \u2013 place matters. The geographic approach to public health preparedness and pandemic response ranges wide and includes (but is not limited to): situational awareness with map-based dashboards; resource allocation to support developing community needs (like vaccination, testing sites, shelters during weather events and other essentials); analyses, models and simulations that provide answers to questions of system capacity and local risk; civic engagement tools that both inform decision-makers and connect people with the information they\u2019ll need in the crisis; and effective communication and collaboration tools that enable otherwise disconnected stakeholders to work together to solve problems.<\/p>\n\n

      The last two years effectively demonstrated how a crisis drives rapid innovation. Many new GIS tools have been developed to address the specific needs brought about by a global pandemic. Combine those new GIS capabilities with the tried and true preparedness and response applications of the last two and a half decades. Then mix in significant funding for modernization and you have a recipe for greater resilience as this crisis continues and the next one begins. Look for the best funding opportunities in buckets 1 and 2. For state and local governments that already purchased or wish to begin using GIS to support COVID-19 response efforts see State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds<\/a>. Those wanting to develop high-quality modern infrastructure to support public health emergency response for COVID-19 and beyond, see Coronavirus Capital Projects<\/a> and HHS.gov guidance<\/a> on grant opportunities related to coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n

      Ways you should leverage GIS for public health preparedness and pandemic response and recovery:<\/p>\n\n