In this episode, ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics, Allen Rakotoniaina, breaks down how public health agencies can effectively make the case for investing in modern data systems.
In this episode, ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics, Allen Rakotoniaina, breaks down how public health agencies can effectively make the case for investing in modern data systems. He explains why “business numbers,” like labor hours saved or dollars recouped, can be the tipping point for decision-makers, especially in an environment where funding is scarce. Allen also demonstrates how person-centered storytelling transforms technical work into relatable, mission-driven narratives, using real-world examples such as overdose prevention. He explores how tools like partner mapping and shared ownership can help agencies build stronger advocacy plans and create sustainable, collaborative data systems. Whether you're building a data modernization strategy or just beginning to rally your organization around the need for better systems, this conversation offers practical insights, clear examples, and a roadmap for getting started.
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Access Legal Map | ASTHO
JOHN SHEEHAN:
This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, December 4, 2025. I'm John Sheehan, with news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Today: how to build your case for data modernization. ASTHO's Director of Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics, Allen Rakotoniaina, breaks down how public health agencies can effectively make the case for investing in modern data systems. One of Allen's communication tools is to use 'business numbers.'
ALLEN RAKOTONIAINA:
When communicating to our audience, using the 'business numbers' allows us to speak in terms that call for a decision and to help decision-makers understand the impact of that decision on their agency, business unit, or, more commonly speaking, their bottom line. So, in other words, moving from the 'what' to the 'so, what' and the 'why.' Should this be important to me, and so, demonstrating how many labor hours or dollars a modernization solution might save, can often be the tipping point for decision-makers, especially in public health, where funding can be scarce, even at the best of times.
SHEEHAN:
Yeah. And as you say, the bottom line can be clarifying. You also recommend using person-centered storytelling. What does that mean? And what are some examples?
RAKOTONIAINA:
Yes, I certainly think that the story behind the work that we do in public health is so important, and arguably more important than the technical nuts and bolts. And so, take preventing overdose anomalies through improved data collection management and analysis systems, for example. That's very jargony, but to boil it down, the story behind this, no one wants to lose a loved one to an unexpected drug overdose due to lethal substances entering the community. To prevent overdoses, a public health department is going to issue alerts and needs to deploy interventions as quickly as possible. Well, how does an agency know which communities to focus on? This can come down to how quickly health departments are able to collect and analyze data, and an upgraded system for collecting, integrating, and automatically analyzing public health data, as opposed to doing all of this manually, can cut health department response times down from weeks to days. On top of that, a system like that could develop algorithms that monitor those overdose levels and alert public health agency staff when those response thresholds are reached, and to bring it back to that story about not wanting to lose a loved one, an upgraded system like this can allow public health departments to detect and respond to overdose anomalies faster, and could be the reason someone still has a loved one at home for dinner that night or to watch football with on Sunday afternoon.
SHEEHAN:
And something that kind of dovetails with that, that notion of, you know, connecting it to the why, connecting it to a person. You also talk about partner mapping and sort of understanding the needs of people who are using your services.
RAKOTONIAINA:
Absolutely, as I mentioned earlier, public health funding can be scarce even at the best of times, and by using partner mapping to methodically think through our partners, what they care about, and how we can help them, we're essentially building ourselves an advocacy plan for the public health data modernization work that we're seeking to do. That way, we know who to reach out to for resources, and we know how we're going to say, I see you have a problem, and I know how to fix it in a way that resonates uniquely for each of our partners.
SHEEHAN:
And part of that you describe as promoting shared ownership of- of these tools and of that data modernization work. How does that translate to a better, more sustainable process?
RAKOTONIAINA:
Absolutely. Well, we're coming up on the holidays here. So, I've got food on the mind. I've got a bunch of meals on the mind, and I like to use this analogy of hosting a potluck. So, if you're hosting a potluck, would you try and cook all the dishes for a potluck all by yourself? No, I think most people would not do that. A potluck only works because its sum is greater than its parts, and sustaining data modernization efforts is not that much different than hosting a potluck. You cannot do this work in a silo, and you cannot sustain data modernization efforts alone. You need to bring people along with you, and everyone needs to feel like they have a role to play, or in potluck terms, a dish to offer.
SHEEHAN:
And we talked about making the business case for modernization using partner mapping in some of the other tools we discussed, like person-centered storytelling and using 'business numbers' if there's someone out there that wants to really make the case to their organization for- for these efforts for data modernization, what are some- what are some first steps?
RAKOTONIAINA:
This is where a public health agency's data modernization of strategic plan is incredibly helpful and provides a foundation for using both of these tools that I'm talking about here today. So, building a business case and partner mapping a good data modernization plan will outline an agency's vision for data modernization strategic priorities that advance that vision and detailed objectives to achieve those strategic priorities. If folks would like to learn more about that process for building a data modernization plan, please check out ASTHO's data modernization toolkit and tactical guides, which can be found on ASTHO's website, and there's much more to dig into on our website.
SHEEHAN:
Yeah, thanks, Allen. And I think you've already provided some concrete examples here.
RAKOTONIAINA:
Absolutely. And I think, in summary, health agencies have a lot of projects and a lot of needs, and thinking of things such as the business case and who you engage earlier in the process can go a long way in advancing data modernization work. The bottom line is, it helps us communicate, it helps us engage with others, and it helps us put on one heck of a potluck.
SHEEHAN:
Allen Rakotoniaina is ASTHO's director of public health data modernization and informatics.
ASTHO released a new legal map highlighting legislation related to medications for opioid use disorder. This map helps public health leaders identify legislative strategies to reduce barriers to opioid use disorder treatment. Access it by clicking the link in the show notes.
This has been Public Health Review Morning Edition. I'm John Sheehan for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
