Blog

Increasing Transparency: Open DataFest II Set for March 16–17

By Michael Wilkening Undersecretary, California Health and Human Services Agency Here at the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS), we are continuously working to strengthen existing programs and services and evaluate new approaches. As we work towards these goals, it is important that we make effective use of the data that we collect along the […]

ArcGIS Open Data: An Invitation and an Opportunity

By Este GeraghtyChief Medical Officer and Health Solutions Director, Esri The California Open DataFest II is fast approaching (March 16 and 17), and it marks a time of celebration and of coming full circle for me. You see, as physician–scientist at UC Davis, I yearned for data to be more available to facilitate my research. […]

The Countdown Begins: Our 2nd Annual HHS Open DataFest is Coming Up!

Partnerships and collaborations (can someone please explain the difference to me?) are among the most-effective tools all of us have for doing the best work possible in many if not most circumstances. And, to my way of thinking, they also demonstrate that we mean what we say about making interoperability and information-sharing a part of […]

OPEN DATA: A Lot of Sparks, So Why No Wildfire Yet?

The concept of “Open Data” has  excited and frustrated a lot of people over the years, because it’s one of those things that makes total sense on paper, and therefore “feels” like an idea that will quickly go viral and generate tremendous value. Yet it hasn’t yet, so its supporters are puzzled and reflexively think […]

For Stewards of Change, 2015 Won’t Be Just Another Year

           My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”                                                                                                                     — Dr. Seuss Here’s what I meant to do on January 1: Wake up late, spend some time with my family, read a couple of chapters of a good book, and then write a blog wishing everyone a happy 2015 […]

Working for Change and Improving Lives … but First a Fish Story

The adage goes something like this: “If you give a family a fish, you feed them for one meal; if you teach them how to fish, you feed them for a lifetime.” So how in the world, you may ask, does this relate to the work of the Stewards of Change Institute (SOCI) on information-sharing […]

Yes, We Can Share Information, Improve Outcomes AND Protect Privacy!

I’m going to start today with a confession: I am a true believer. Preaching and teaching the value of information-sharing and interoperability to improve health and human services (and thereby people’s lives) is not only my job; it is my passion. So I was honored when the National League of Cities recently asked me to […]

An Opportunity to Promote Progress in HHS – by Listening

It’s always a pleasure for me to spread the word about important initiatives in our world – and even more so when I have the privilege to be involved in one. That’s the case with an ambitious new effort announced yesterday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, titled “Data for Health.” Its goal is to […]