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Follow-Up and Next Steps: LHIT Community Meeting on Cybersecurity

  • 1.  Follow-Up and Next Steps: LHIT Community Meeting on Cybersecurity

    Posted 16 days ago

    Dear colleagues,

    Thank you to everyone who joined our recent Local Health IT (LHIT) community meeting focused on cybersecurity readiness in public health. We appreciate your insights, engagement, and continued commitment to advancing cyber preparedness in our field.

    Meeting Highlights:

    • The meeting opened with a lighthearted, AI-generated icebreaker question about hypothetical tech scenarios, which saw 73% participation. Responses revealed a preference for blockchain chats over ransomware alerts!

    • Participants shared brief introductions and updates on current projects, highlighting growing interest in AI applications, GIS programming, and other digital innovations.

    • Angie provided updates on NACCHO's cybersecurity initiatives and previewed key events at NACCHO 360.

    • Dr. Leanne Field presented preliminary findings from a national cybersecurity readiness survey of state and local public health departments. Key insights included:

      • 80% of respondents acknowledged high cybersecurity vulnerability.

      • 30% reported experiencing cyber incidents in the past two years, with phishing and ransomware among top threats.

      • Only 56% rated their department as "ready" to handle cyber incidents, with local health departments showing the greatest need for support.

      • Major barriers included financial constraints, lack of expertise, and legacy systems.

    The discussion emphasized the urgent need for stronger planning, accessible training, and improved infrastructure to better safeguard public health data and systems.

    Next Steps:

    • Angie will send Dr. Leanne Field the questions submitted via chat.

    • Blake/Jason will integrate key survey insights into the NACCHO 360 cybersecurity panel, including the impact of cyber outages on patient outcomes.

    • Angie will email NACCHO 360 registrants from the LHIT community with a summary of relevant sessions and connection opportunities.

    • The LHIT community will reconvene virtually on August 13 to reflect on NACCHO360 takeaways and broader IT trends.

    • Dr. Field will bring Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) questions back to HSCC leadership for clarification.

    • The HSCC task group aims to:

      • Complete full survey analysis by the end of summer.

      • Share the results broadly through publications and conference presentations.

    Full recording can be found here: https://naccho.zoom.us/rec/play/wWQczP27dHgCI8_-MDwz_431k0F0GUXrpsAHe9GL77BlZICnit_zUeWaUfVh_ObxvHdk8ZLTiSN9ifVg.g8XuPCHJJK60Od1K

    Powerpoints from the meeting are attached. 

    Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and stay tuned for additional updates as we approach NACCHO 360.

    Best regards,
    Angie McPherson
    (on behalf of the Local Health IT team)



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    Angie McPherson amcpherson@naccho.org
    Senior Web Specialist
    National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
    Washington DC
    (571)484-4663
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