FEATURE adamant about maintaining their public health role over the federal government and whether the federal government needs all the data it is requesting . “ Some individuals are , rightly or wrongly , very concerned about the idea of big government databases that contain their sensitive information , including their health information ,” Greene says .
Public health has been underfunded for years , but if state and federal governments want all this data , they must ensure the infrastructure is built to support it , Willitt says . “ It ’ s not just making sure that the hardware is there , but you need staff who understand what data elements are needed , what data elements would be useful . [ Laboratory staff ] can make very nuanced decisions about what should be collected and how it should be collected — rather than relying on a centralized IT department that is several layers removed and has an abstract understanding of what ’ s needed , but not really understanding the public health necessity behind it .” n
Electronic Test Order and Results ( ETOR )
Healthcare Provider
Process an order
Trigger a result
State or Local Health Department
Public Health Laboratory
ELR ( All reportable conditions ): Active Surveillance Isolates
The Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity
Your Biosafety and Biosecurity Resource !
ABSA International was founded in 1984 to promote biosafety as a scientific discipline and serve the growing biosafety and biosecurity needs of scientists , laboratorians , health care workers , and biosafety and biosecurity professionals throughout the world .
ABSA International Activities and Resources
• Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Conferences , Training Courses , and Webinars
• Agricultural and Biosecurity Symposia – offered alternating years
• Professional Credentials – Registered Biosafety Professional ( RBP ) and Certified Biological Safety Professional ( CBSP )
• Applied Biosafety : Journal of ABSA International
• Biosafety and Biosecurity Publications – including Anthology of Biosafety series
• BSL-2 / -3 and ABSL-2 / -3 Accreditation Program – https :// absa . org / lab-accred /
• Animal Biosafety Training Videos – https :// absa . org / absl /
• Risk Group Database , Job Board , Biosafety Buyer ’ s Guide , Biosafety Listserve , Training Tools , and more …
www . absa . org
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Winter 2021 LAB MATTERS 9 |