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Commission approves $1.04 million University of Memphis contract for public-health informatics and workforce development
Summary
Shelby County Commission approved a $1,043,560 federal grant contract with the University of Memphis to develop public-health informatics, data equity, analytics and workforce pipelines, county staff said the work includes a public-facing pilot and student pipeline programs.
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a $1,043,560 contract with the University of Memphis, funded by federal grant dollars, to support data infrastructure, analytics and workforce development at the Shelby County Health Department.
The contract, approved unanimously by roll call (12 ayes), is part of a multi-year CDC-funded grant program the health department said it has used to build workforce capacity and data tools. Courtney Tipper, chief of staff for the Shelby County Health Department, told commissioners the University of Memphis subcontract covers three focus areas: public-health workforce development, recruitment and a data platform pilot. She said the U of M program has run a summer pipeline program for high-school students and helped staff pursue certificates, master's degrees and doctoral programs.
On data, Tipper said the county asked the university to adapt a public-facing platform modeled on an existing New York system that maps HIV status, resource locations and related service information. Tipper said the platform was in final development and that the health department's leadership planned to review a pilot next week before a broader public launch later in the year, with an ultimate goal of public access ahead of fiscal year 2026.
Commissioner Brittany Thornton pressed for details on the geographic reach of the student pipeline and asked whether employees at satellite clinics, including the Orange Mound clinic, had been included; Tipper said the workforce funding had been open to all county staff and agreed to provide commissioners the list of participating employees and the high schools represented in the student summer cohorts by the end of business Thursday.
The contract runs retroactively from Dec. 1, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2025, and requires the appropriation and expenditure of federal grant funds in FY2025. The motion to approve was moved by Commissioner Ed Ford (moved item), seconded by Commissioner Erica Sugarman; the roll-call recorded 12 aye votes and the item passed.
Why it matters: County staff said the contract strengthens the health department's data systems and helps create a recruitment pipeline for public-health careers. Commissioners asked for roster details to confirm equitable geographic outreach from the student and staff training programs.
Ending: County staff promised follow-up documentation and a pilot demonstration to commissioner and committee members before wider public rollout.
