Table 3.

Recommendations for Future Public Health Innovations

Improvements to information systems

Information systems―new and existing―must rapidly identify public health gaps in real time, including examining disparities in health outcomes by race, ethnicity, and other drivers of health inequity Evaluate and address COVID-19’s impact on local and population-level data collection related to chronic disease and prevention. Provide and make data on the direct and indirect impacts of the pandemic available at the local level to support public health interventions, including our understanding of gaps at the local community level. Validate and expand the use of virtual data collection tools and real-time data from EHRs, web-based platforms, social media platforms, and possibly other new data sources, many of which were expanded or created related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Invest in ongoing data modernization initiatives to unite public health jurisdictions across state, tribal, and local levels and private and public sector partners to create real-time surveillance systems for COVID-19 and beyond. Ensure continuous quality improvement of surveillance tools to enable tracking of health equity, social determinants of health, racism, social isolation, substance use, mental health, and disaster preparedness and the impact on health promotion and chronic disease risk factors.

Strategies for returning to and assuring health care

Leverage strategies that provide care to people where they live, including telehealth, phone visits, utilization of text messaging platforms, and care in community settings. Increase patient engagement by expanding virtual, in-community, and in-home care interventions to decrease barriers to access. Perform ongoing assessment and evaluation of the shifting modalities in healthcare delivery, many of which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, including their strengths and limitations.

Community‒clinical linkages and partnerships

Leverage and invest in community‒clinical linkages and partnerships (both pre-existing and newly formed during the COVID-19 pandemic) to deliver trusted information, resources, wellness initiatives, prevention efforts, and care where applicable. Examine and assess community‒clinical linkages and partnership models utilized during the pandemic for COVID-19 testing and vaccination and catalyze opportunities to advance current and future public health efforts. Examine successful community‒clinical linkages and partnerships (both pre-existing and newly formed during the COVID-19 pandemic) to assess efficacy and opportunities to advance health equity and improvements in chronic disease prevention and health promotion.

HER, electronic health record.