Pew and States: Working Together to Improve Public Health Data

State public health officials need timely, comprehensive data to effectively detect and respond to the wide range of issues within their purview—from disease outbreaks and maternal mortality to contaminated food and water, opioid overdoses, and more.

And although public health data policies and practices vary widely throughout the U.S., reflecting each state’s populations and priorities, many commonalities also exist—along with ways that public health agencies can learn from each other.

Pew works with states to support the collection, analysis, and use of high-quality data, which enables states to more efficiently allocate limited resources, make effective policy decisions, and improve people’s health.