Privacy, Civic and Public Health

Concurrent Session Block 2: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, September 16

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Presentations

COVID-19: Data Sharing for Public Health Surveillance, Investigation and Intervention
Public health’s COVID-19 surveillance, investigation and intervention balances an individual’s right to privacy against the public’s and other’s right to know. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, questions about data sharing under a national emergency have surfaced. Is HIPAA still fully in effect during this public health emergency? How does HIPAA apply to public health departments? What COVID-19 information may public health share with the media, emergency responders, law enforcement and others? This session will identify various federal and state laws, including HIPAA, that impact public health’s ability to share COVID-19 information. This session will provide a review of current data sharing questions facing your peers; an understanding of HIPAA’s data sharing limitations and opportunities and an awareness of other federal and state law considerations.

  • Sallie Milam, Deputy Director, Network for Public Health Law, Mid-States Region Office
  • Carrie Waggoner, JD, Senior Attorney, Network for Public Health Law—Mid-States Region Office

Conducting Elections during a Pandemic
It’s now clear that we should plan for the highest voter turnout in generations this fall, even as it’s also clear that foreign disinformation campaigns are ramping up and restrictions and fears due to the pandemic will be in full force. What’s also apparent, however, is that law, policy, and perhaps most importantly, administrative and informational practices in our highly-decentralized administration of elections are not yet fully-equipped to facilitate safe, secure, and convenient voting for 150 million Americans in the midst of a global health crisis. And while solutions like expanding mail voting will be necessary, no one solution will solve this problem, nor will all states find themselves able to offer the same options to all voters. This session will discuss the multi-faceted approach that is needed to allow for safe and convenient in-person voting, and the unparalleled voter education effort needed to meet this challenge.

  • David J. Becker, A.B., History, University of California Berkeley 1991, J.D. University of California Berkeley 1994, Executive Director and Founder, The Center for Election Innovation & Research