Data is one of the most important tools in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Citizens need accurate data to understand the virus and access vaccinations while public health officials need up-to-date information to track COVID-19 and evaluate immunization effectiveness. MeriTalk spoke with Jim Daniel, who leads state and local public health for Amazon Web Services (AWS), to learn how access to public health data has improved and how it may change in the future.

The pandemic created an instant and widespread need for better data sharing about infections and treatment, pushing states to revolutionize their healthcare IT and address new challenges with cutting-edge technology. For many states, the biggest key to success has been moving to the cloud.

The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed 2020 for state and local governments (SLGs) and while the end of the pandemic on the horizon, SLGs will face ongoing challenges juggling funding and modernization imperatives.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York was one of the areas hardest hit with more than 300,000 known cases by late May. To support the COVID-19 response efforts, the New York State Department of Health faced a major data challenge, collating clinical data being received from six separate healthcare information exchanges (HIEs), referred to as qualified entities (QEs), across the state. From this challenge, came a partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AWS Consulting Partner Cloudticity, to create the nation’s first COVID-19 registry.

As state governments look to slow the spread of COVID-19, they are having to stand up massive contact tracing efforts practically overnight. When deciding how to best tackle the new project, the state of Maryland turned to a cloud-based call center.

Like other states across the country, Maryland needs to reduce the number of COVID-19 infections to flatten the curve. Contact tracing—the process of reaching out to people who tested positive for the virus and alerting people who have been in contact with them—is an essential part of the state’s strategy.

Great adversity often fuels tremendous ingenuity, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Recently, the Commonwealth of Virginia validated this point when it expanded its ground-breaking Framework for Addiction Analysis and Community Transformation (FAACT) platform in just a few days to help navigate the COVID-19 crisis and provide public safety.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many court systems nationwide had to stop proceedings. But, thanks to an investment in technology modernization, including a shift to Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud, the New Jersey Courts system was able to stay operational without interruption, even with 99 percent of its staff working from home.

Since 1920, the State of New Hampshire has held its presidential primary elections before any other state, making it a critical first step on the road to the White House. New Hampshire marks the centennial of its first-in-the-nation presidential primary on February 11, 2020. In the last 100 years, government officials and constituents have witnessed […]

Many state and local government (SLG) information technology (IT) managers understand the cloud must be central to their strategy as they look to pick up the pace on modernization and transformation efforts. Those who adopt new technologies early typically have an advantage, especially in government. Governments that provide online services distinguish themselves from those who […]