Spreading the Word on the Impact of Interoperability and Open Data: Our Latest Symposium Focused Sharply on Improving Children’s Lives

Over the past decade, the steadily escalating use of open data has expanded knowledge, driven innovation, enhanced effectiveness and improved outcomes in a growing number of realms, particularly relating to health, healthcare and human services. Stewards of Change Institute, seeing the opportunity (and the need) to expand this work even further, recently held an event […]

Looking for Answers: From the Opioid Crisis . . . to a Network of Networks . . . to a New Curriculum

Open data, information-sharing, data standards and interoperability may not be the answers to every question, but there’s no doubt that they are pivotal components in addressing many challenges confronting the health and human services field. And the latest – and most urgent example to buttress this point is the exploding opioid/heroin epidemic sweeping the country. […]

Elementary, Dear Watson, the Symposium is about Change . . . and the Future

While preparing for the Stewards of Change 10th Anniversary National Symposium – which begins next Monday at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore – SOCI President Daniel Stein met by phone a few days ago with IBM Global Business Consultant Joseph Fiorentino and Martin Duggan, who leads the IBM Curam Research Institute. Here are edited highlights […]

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 […]

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 […]

First Health and Human Services Open DataFest

Stewards of Change Institute is proud to announce the first health and human service Open DataFest, taking place in Sacramento, California January 21st and 22nd.  The purpose of this symposium is to build broad awareness, knowledge and utilization of open data in general, but more specifically within health and human services across California. Working in […]