{"id":560782,"date":"2025-02-21T01:02:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T01:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uat.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=560782"},"modified":"2025-02-21T17:26:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T17:26:29","slug":"harnessing-the-power-of-public-private-partnerships-in-public-health","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/harnessing-the-power-of-public-private-partnerships-in-public-health","title":{"rendered":"Harnessing the Power of Public-Private Partnerships in Public Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently sat down with Diana Yassanye and Dr. Ranelle Brew, co-founders of Parasol Health Consulting, to discuss the transformative potential of funded public-private partnerships for public health. Our conversation delves into the nuances of collaboration, the value of data, and the role of geographic information systems (GIS) in addressing critical public health challenges. Before I share our conversation, let me introduce Diana, Ranelle and their organization.<\/p>\n\n

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Meet Diana Yassanye (left) and Dr. Ranelle Brew (right) \u2013 the dynamic duo of Parasol Health Consulting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Parasol Health Consulting<\/a>, LLC is a strategic consulting firm. Co-founder, Diana Yassanye, is the former Public-Private Partnerships Lead for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and co-founder, Dr. Ranelle Brew, founded the accredited Master of Public Health program at Grand Valley State University. Their company provides innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance national priorities in science, education, security, and health. Through teams of specialized subject matter experts, Parasol Health Consulting works with federal, state, local, academic, research, and commercial customers to advance public health priorities and serve public interests.<\/p>\n\n

Diana:<\/strong> Este, at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Preparedness Summit in April 2023, colleagues and I discussed public-private partnerships. While the session emphasized non-monetary collaborations, you approached me afterward and highlighted the importance of funded partnerships in extending public health knowledge and preparedness. Can you elaborate on this?<\/p>\n\n

Este:<\/strong> Absolutely, Diana. Funded partnerships often carry a stigma of being purely transactional, which can hinder trust. Yet, these relationships can be incredibly impactful when approached as true collaborations. Many private sector organizations employ industry experts who bring invaluable knowledge and serve as trusted advisors. While financial exchange is involved, it\u2019s essential to remember we\u2019re all working toward shared goals of improving health outcomes. How does that happen? My view is that public-private partnerships, at their best, bring together the expertise of public health professionals, who understand the specific challenges and objectives, and private sector advisors, who contribute tools, methods, and analytics tailored to address those needs. This is when innovative solutions emerge.<\/p>\n\n

Ranelle:<\/strong> In schools of public health, we discuss the importance of large data sets to inform public health efforts and overall community health assessments. Can you share examples of non-emergency data that helps track community health and enhance decision-making for public health initiatives?<\/p>\n\n

Este:<\/strong> Certainly. Non-emergency datasets are critical for proactive public health efforts, especially when they are geo-enabled, meaning they are ready for mapping and visualization. We believe that public health organizations should systematically collect and maintain these key datasets for ongoing needs so that they are available when an emergency happens (we built a lesson on how to do this \u2013 see it here<\/a>). Here are some examples of what I consider foundational data:<\/p>\n\n