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Department of Health urges sustained funding for public-health data modernization; highlights HELMS and lab upgrades
Summary
Les Becker, chief of innovation and technology at the Department of Health, told the committee that many public-health systems are decades old, that HELMS and a laboratory information management system are key modernization priorities, and that sustained federal and state investments are needed for long-term operation and interoperability.
Les Becker, chief for the Office of Innovation and Technology at the Washington State Department of Health, briefed the committee on Feb. 5 about public-health data systems and modernization priorities.
Becker said public health uses many domain-specific systems — infectious disease, environmental health, chronic disease, laboratory reporting and emergency medical services — and that each has unique data needs and reporting requirements. He said many of the Department’s systems “are decades old” and that the pandemic highlighted constraints in scaling and aggregating data across systems.
Key projects: Becker highlighted three modernization priorities. First, HELMS (Health Enforcement and Licensing Management System) is moving to Salesforce to replace an older, inflexible platform and to provide more configurable and scalable licensing and enforcement capacity. Second, the Department plans a multi-year upgrade to its laboratory information management system (referred to as GLIMS) to replace fax- and paper-based workflows and modernize lab operations; Becker said that laboratory modernization is scheduled for a go-live in about two years. Third, the Department is studying case-management software for infectious disease and other public-health case work.
Becker credited WATEC for vendor management support on HELMS and urged cross-agency cooperation where agencies use the same platforms. He said health information exchange sustainability is important; the state’s HIE recently underwent bankruptcy and acquisition, and the Department is working with the new entity to ensure continuity.
Becker asked legislators to promote sustained maintenance-and-operations funding for public-health systems after initial implementation, noting that federal grant funding frequently supports build phases but not long-term operations. He also highlighted the tension between privacy and consent management and the need to balance those concerns while enabling data sharing for public-health decision-making.
On cybersecurity, Becker urged continued investment to avoid security erosion during budget transitions. He recommended continued central coordination (WATEC), long-term roadmaps for maintenance and clarity on policy-driven scope changes when the legislature enacts new licensing or reporting requirements.
