Module 1	Overview	Unit 1 Overview
Module 2	Introduction	Unit 1 What is the Data Modernization Initiative?	Unit 2 Modernization at the Health Department
Module 3	Instructions	Unit 1 How to use this Toolkit
Module 4	Establish a Data Modernization Team	Unit 1 Establish a Data Modernization Team
Module 5	Engage Partners	Unit 1 Engage Partners: Overview	Unit 2 Step 1: Identify Partners	Unit 3 Step 2: Plan Partner Communication (strategic outreach)	Unit 4 Step 3: Conduct Outreach
Module 6	Make the Value Case	Unit 1 Make the Value Case: Overview	Unit 2 What is a Value Case?	Unit 3 Why Create a Value Case?
Module 7	Build Strategic Sustainability for Data Modernization	Unit 1 Build Strategic Sustainability for Data Modernization: Overview	Unit 2 Technology Development and Acquisition	Unit 3 Workforce Development	Unit 4 Process and Procedures	Unit 5 Funding
Module 8	Assess Current State and Opportunities	Unit 1 Assess Current State and Opportunities: Overview	Unit 2 Understand the Data Life Cycle	Unit 3 Find Ways to Create Redundancy	Unit 4 Assess Governance and Policy	Unit 5 Review DMI Self-assessment Results	Unit 6 Catalogue Potential Data Modernization Projects
Module 9	Prioritize Projects	Unit 1 Prioritize Projects: Overview	Unit 2 Prioritization Process	Unit 3 Who Should Prioritize?	Unit 4 Prioritization Criteria
Module 10	Develop the Plan	Unit 1 Data Modernization Plan
Module 11	Implement	Unit 1 Implement: Overview	Unit 2 Project Management	Unit 3 Change Management
Module 12	Data Modernization Appendices	Unit 1 Appendix 1: CDC Data Modernization Roadmap	Unit 2 Appendix 2: Data Modernization Planning and Implementation Checklist
Module 13	Data Modernization Planning Resources	Unit 1 Data Modernization Planning Downloads

Modernization at the Health Department

Receiving, managing, using and sending digital data is critical to the public health mission and operation. However, this requires comprehensive and innovative data systems and a high level of informatics knowledge that many health departments are still trying to develop. To guide DMI work, the CDC published a roadmap that defines three data modernization domains and recommends concrete activities within each. This framework presents a vision of what the data modernization strategy was created to do, guides decisions for allocating resources, creates a structure to track progress and success along the way and provides context for this toolkit.

Health departments can think about data modernization activities within three domains:

Coordinate people and systems
Accelerate data for action
Support strategic innovation

Modernization is not a one-time investment; it involves activities across multiple domains to achieve short, intermediate and long-term outcomes. By aligning activities and resources toward specific and measurable outcomes, health departments can make a lasting impact on their data, information systems and workforce.

Data modernization funds were distributed to local and state health departments beginning in fiscal year 2020 through the ELC program. This toolkit was developed primarily for health departments receiving data modernization funds. For other agencies not receiving DMI funds, this toolkit can inform related efforts to increase institutional knowledge and workforce capacity to harness the power of public health data.