Nebraska Health and Human Services System and GIS

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Nebraska Health and Human Services System and GIS

• Chris Chalmers
• NHHSS GIS Coordinator

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Overview

• History of GIS within HHS
• Overview of Project Successes within the agency
• What has worked, not worked and why
• Obstacles and how to overcome them
• Future projects with HHS

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History

• 1998 First copy of GIS (ArcView) was purchased
• 1999-2002 Private vendor enabled a Geographic
  Information System
• 2002 Vendor led training for select individuals
  within the agency
• 2003 HHS contract with University of
  Nebraska-Lincoln to create a GIS Coordinator for
  the agency

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History contd

• 2003 Needs assessment completed
• 2004 Agency wide implementation of GIS and
  upgrade to ArcGIS (24 copies of ArcGIS)
• 2004 Created a GIS data collection network using
  Local Public Health Departments as Satellite
  collection locations. Providing each with all
  tools needed for perform field based GIS
  analysis.
• 2005 Created GIS Emergency Command Center for the
  Agency

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Project Success

• Created an intranet GIS website for users to take
  advantage of interactive maps
• 2003 Omaha Blood Lead Project
• 2004 ESRI SAG Award for LPHD Integrated GIS
  Mapping
• Full integration within the agency
• WNV Mapping
• SNS GIS web application

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WNV Mapping
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WNV Regional Mapping
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WNV Mapping
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Strategic National Stockpile Application

• Application was created so that NHHSS may managed
  the stockpile inventory as it arrives from CDC
• Allows the user to managed the inventory on the
  fly
• GIS was the foundation for this application!
• RX Calculator

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SNS Application
Spatially locate the Hubs, Sub-Hubs, and
Dispensing locations Track shipments to and
from the RSS Allow Hubs and Sub-Hubs to manage
the inventory received from the RSS
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SNS Application contd
Allows inventory management personnel to
inventory and ship vaccine and supplies real-time!
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SNS Application contd
Manage inventory by expiration date and quantity
at the facility level
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What has worked, not worked

• Acceptance of GIS not agency- wide in the
  beginning
• GIS thought of as a cartographic program, nothing
  more
• Set up relationships within the agency to further
  GIS
• The GIS Epiphany!
• IST not responsive to the advantages that GIS
  can offer
• GIS support can cross many knowledge boundaries

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Obstacles

• Trust that GIS will not take an individual or
  their position
• Get past the idea that GIS is not a violation of
  HIPAA!
• Know the roles of the managers of the agency and
  let them do their job and they will let you do
  yours
• Some individuals will always resist change.
• Let GIS manager manage the GIS and that will make
  everyones life easier

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Future of GIS for HHS

• Working with Region 7 to bring GIS to the
  forefront of STDs
• Integrating GIS into the Mid-America Consortium
• Using GIS to monitor vaccine inventory
• Integrating GIS into the NEDSS application
• Moving away from the need for multiple copies of
  desktop GIS
• Integrating early beginnings of Enterprise
  applications using vendor-based software

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Chris Chalmers GIS Coordinator Nebraska Health
and Human Services Regulation and Licensure
Division 402-471-4598 chris.chalmers_at_hhss.ne.gov