Abstract
The University of Utah is developing and implementing tools to improve responses to emerging public health threats across the Mountain West.
They will use some of their $17.5 million 5-year grant to fund its ForeSITE (Forecasting and Surveillance of Infectious Threats and Epidemics) center, creating tools for local health officials to customize disease responses for their communities. The models also incorporate socioeconomic, race and disability data, so that local decision-makers can consider equity in their responses and target the most vulnerable populations. During the pandemic, ForeSITE researchers used real-time disease forecasting to advise hospitals on preparing for patient surges, assist health departments in planning vaccine distribution, and make recommendations for the public about using face masks. ForeSITE has partnerships supporting local health departments, hospitals and Veterans Affairs health systems in Utah, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. These additional 15 collaborators will expand the network of networks, working together to coordinate disease outbreak responses more quickly across the Mountain West region.
