DATE: September 25, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Pomaville, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Agreement with the California Department of Public Health
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Data Use and Disclosure Agreement with the California Department of Public Health, for disease reporting and surveillance, effective September 25, 2018 through September 24, 2021 ($0).
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health, or designee, subject to review and approval by County Counsel, to execute amendments related to new standards and requirements imposed by regulations and other applicable laws to the Data Use and Disclosure Agreement with the California Department of Public Health.
3. Authorize the Fresno County Health Officer to execute the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange Cross-Jurisdictional Data Sharing Authorization Form.
4. Authorize the Fresno County Health Officer to add and/or delete authorized individuals to and from the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange Cross-Jurisdictional Data Sharing Authorization Form.
REPORT
Approval of the first recommended action will allow the Department continued access to the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE), a secure California Department of Public Health (CDPH) web-based disease reporting and surveillance management system. Health care providers and laboratories use the system for mandated reporting of communicable diseases and conditions to the Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJ). The second recommended action would authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute future amendments related only to new standards and requirements imposed by future regulations and other applicable laws, following County Counsel’s review and approval. The third and fourth recommended actions would allow the Department to participate in cross-jurisdictional sharing, secure read-only access to specific communicable disease data within the CalREDIE system. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the Department’s ability to conduct disease surveillance and to respond timely and efficiently to communicable diseases, outbreaks, and public safety would be severely impacted. Should your Board not approve the second recommended action the Department would return for each future amendment. Should your Board not approve the third and fourth recommended actions, the Department would be unable to respond to cases of outbreaks impacting multiple jurisdictions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions.
DISCUSSION:
CalREDIE is a secure statewide reportable disease database supported and maintained by CDPH. Since 2010, CalREDIE is the electronic reporting system used by health care providers and laboratories for mandated reporting of communicable diseases and conditions to the LHJ. The purpose of CalREDIE is to improve the efficiency of surveillance activities and the early detection of public health events through the collection of complete and timely surveillance information on a statewide basis. The Department relies on CalREDIE to track trends on reportable diseases, rising trends of potential outbreaks, and certain diseases and conditions of public health interest.
CalREDIE is an integral part of the California public health emergency preparedness and response strategy where completion and implementation of CalREDIE allows for 24-hour/7-days a week/365-days a year reporting and receipt of notifiable conditions. All commercial labs and hospitals submit lab results electronically and private providers are transitioning to electronic transmittal as well. The Department has access to an excess of 13,000 lab and/or Confidential Morbidity Reports from health care providers and laboratories per year through CalREDIE reporting approximately 88 reportable diseases.
CDPH has advised that amendments may be required throughout the term of the proposed agreement as Federal and State laws relating to information security and privacy continue to evolve. Therefore, the second recommended action would allow the Director to execute future amendments related only to new Federal and State standards and requirements imposed by regulations and other applicable laws, once reviewed and approved by County Counsel. Any other modifications would be brought back to your Board for consideration.
The recommended agreement states either party may immediately terminate upon a material breach by the other party. At its sole discretion, either party may give the breaching party 30 days to cure the breach. Either party may terminate the agreement if a finding or stipulation that the other party has violated any security or privacy laws is made in any administrative or civil proceeding in which the other party is a party of has been joined. Either party may terminate the contract without cause upon 30 days advanced written notice.
The recommended Authorization Form is a new opportunity available to LHJ’s. Approval of the third and fourth recommended actions, will allow the County Health Officer to authorize the County to participate in cross-jurisdictional data sharing. The data sharing will allow the Department and other participating LHJs read-only access to specific disease data between LHJs participating in cross-jurisdictional data sharing. The data sharing is necessary for disease control of cases that move out of the County, coordinated response to cases that impact multiple jurisdictions, and coordinated response to multi-jurisdictional outbreaks and disease incidents.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #66, June 16, 2015
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Data Use and Disclosure Agreement with the California Department of Public Health
On file with Clerk - CalREDIE Cross-Jurisdictional Data Sharing Authorization Form
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa