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$100 Million Global Health Initiative Announces 18 Participant Countries

(June 21, 2016, New York, USA) – Vital Strategies today joined Bloomberg Philanthropies in announcing the first 18 countries that will participate in a four-year, $100 million Data for Health initiative to advance health data collection and monitoring. The Data for Health initiative officially launched in March 2015, but today’s news marks the first public announcement of the countries taking part in the program.

Vital Strategies’ role in Data for Health will focus on two main aspects of the initiative. It will support improvements to civil registration and vital statistics systems, which record births and deaths and the causes of death. Additionally, it will help governments translate data into action by making better-informed policy decisions.

“An astounding two-thirds of annual deaths globally are not registered, making it difficult, if not impossible, for health officials in many countries to effectively recognize and manage public health challenges,” said José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies. “Whether trying to identify a disease outbreak or determine appropriate policies to reduce non-communicable diseases, health officials often navigate in the dark, unable to help those they are charged with protecting. Data for Health will empower countries to better collect and use health information, giving them the tools needed to enact meaningful public policies that promote well-being and avert avoidable deaths.”

The Data for Health initiative, funded and led by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the government of Australia, touches almost one billion people in 18 partner countries. They include Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Morocco, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zambia. In each nation, public health experts will assist governments to improve data collection and analysis and use, as well as share best practices so that officials can use the latest methods and technology to improve population health.

“The strength of this Initiative is that its every aspect is built for impact,” says Dr. Adam M. Karpati, Senior Vice President of Public Health Programs for Vital Strategies. “First, it focuses on assisting governments to build their own systems and develop their own expert staff capacity. Second, it emphasizes innovative solutions to seemingly intractable challenges, such as using verbal autopsy to determine causes of death for individuals who die at home, outside medical facilities. And third, it helps governments leverage data to prioritize their most important health challenges, make policies, allocate resources, and hold themselves accountable for improving the public’s health.”

In addition to Vital Strategies collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies on Data for Health, other partners include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, World Health Organization (WHO), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the University of Melbourne. More information on Data for Health can be found here.

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies envisions a world where every person is protected by a strong public health system.  Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change.

To find out more, please visit vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat

For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health and data expert, please contact Jon Steed, Vital Strategies, at +1.917.710.2846 or jsteed@vitalstrategies.org