Share this article Share this article WASHINGTON, March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The members of the Data: Elemental to Health campaign applaud Congress and President Biden for enacting the American Rescue Plan, which provides much needed relief from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we are grateful for the inclusion of essential funding to support the public health Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Years before COVID-19 struck, our organizations identified significant gaps in our nation's public health surveillance systems that curtailed our ability to effectively and efficiently respond to emerging public health threats. To provide the necessary upgrades to our public health data systems we called for a foundational investment of $1 billion and sustained annual funding to keep systems up to date with evolving technology.