Improving Connecticut’s public health through cross-sector data-sharing

This article was originally published by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Connecticut is one of many U.S. states increasingly using cross-sector data-sharing to improve public health outcomes, with the Prevention Data Portal a prime example of the state’s efforts. The portal demonstrates how state leadership buy-in, paired with expertise from nongovernmental partners, can overcome common barriers to cross-sector data-sharing and produce clear and meaningful information to help shape state policy—without requiring large new investments in data infrastructure or centralized control. Insights gained from Connecticut’s experience can inform the work of other state public health agencies as they look to expand cross-sector data-sharing through creative partnerships, simple use cases that show value early, and other avenues within their own states.

The Prevention Data Portal, launched in 2018 by Connecticut’s State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW), houses data from local, state, and federal sources to advance health promotion and substance use prevention in the state. It provides free access to a wide range of data-driven products about populations in Connecticut, including epidemiological profiles, data stories using multiple streams of information, and infographics on mental health, substance use, suicide, gambling, and other public health topics. The portal is supported through federal block grant funding and partnerships between the SEOW and the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), the Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics (CPES) at UConn Health, and the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData).

In an ongoing collaboration with states to improve public health data, The Pew Charitable Trusts commissioned interviews with Connecticut officials and other participants in the conceptualization, creation, and use of the SEOW Prevention Data Portal. Those interviews produced several key takeaways.

1. State leadership mandates: Important drivers of cross-sector data-sharing

In 2014, then-Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy issued an executive order establishing the state’s Open Data Portal, which laid the foundation for the advanced work of the SEOW Prevention Data Portal. The executive order also made public the data collected from every state agency (aside from what is legally protected), easing the way for greater collaboration between DMHAS and other agencies concerned with substance use prevention and health promotion. Leadership directives that bring together data or spur state agencies to address pressing issues with data-driven solutions can play an outsize role in forging cross-sector data-sharing practices.

2. Sustainability: Thoughtful planning from the start to show ongoing value

When asked about building sustainable data-sharing practices, interviewees recommended identifying small, relevant use cases of interest and determining how data will be shared and how the state will collaborate with partners. These principles have helped to cultivate a partnership between the SEOW and Regional Behavioral Health Action Organizations (RBHAOs), which provide planning, educational, and advocacy work related to behavioral health needs across the state. By linking data from multiple sources, the SEOW Prevention Data Portal provides valuable information in support of the RBHAOs’ two-year reporting cycles.

Also integral to sustained cross-sector data-sharing is creative thinking about where and how partnerships might prove beneficial. In Connecticut, CTData built the portal and took responsibility for visualizing and communicating the data. With that “structural backbone” in place, as one interviewee observed, the state and its academic partners did not have to build the practice from scratch or assemble a large package of initial funding. The collaboration with UConn Health allows the portal to sit outside the state agency on an external website, avoiding concerns about centralized oversight or the ability to keep the portal technology up to date.

Before building a data-sharing practice, states should consider analyzing data gaps and needs to determine capacity and priority areas. Through thoughtful design and implementation, states can craft systems that will serve partners and foster their support, much as the SEOW has worked to ensure the long-term sustainability and continued use of Connecticut’s portal by addressing existing and emerging needs.

3. Capacity building: Moving beyond a simple “data availability” approach

In Connecticut, portal collaborators meet with DMHAS employees and partners at RBHAOs for data walks, in which SEOW representatives guide partners through key elements of the shared data, gain insight into how partners interpret it, and invite feedback about how the portal might better meet their needs. The sessions also help the SEOW to refine the portal and its data visualizations to make them as informative as possible. State public health leaders should work to ensure not only that users of cross-sector data know how to access data products but also that they understand how to interpret and apply the data appropriately.

Analyses created from data in Connecticut’s portal have helped the state and its partners to craft more robust grant applications. They have also provided state legislators with a greater understanding of specific groups they are trying to serve—high school students from certain legislative districts using alcohol, for example, or veterans with substance use disorder—and informed local-level substance use policy change. The process of building the SEOW Prevention Data Portal has also solidified the CPES team at UConn Health as a trusted partner in prevention work in the state. Connecticut’s portal, designed with sustainability in mind and with the goal of making data both actionable and understandable, provides a model for other states that may be exploring opportunities to expand their own cross-sector data-sharing for public health purposes.

Ian Leavitt is a principal associate with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ public health data improvement project.