Data and Surveillance are the tools public health uses to improve health. While medical practitioners are concerned with an individual person's illness, public health uses an epidemiological approach to the study of disease. This approach looks at the incidence and prevalence of health conditions within a defined human population and the factors and determinants that influence their distribution in order to form methods for control and prevention of disease, injury and other health related events.⁽¹⁶⁾   The Department of Health collects health data on Florida's population for the purpose of protecting and promoting the health and safety of all its residents and visitors, including children. This is an awesome, critical responsibility that requires:

• Protecting confidential records



• Production of aggregate state, county and smaller jurisdiction health reports



• Reliance on a network of 67 county health departments, 23 Children's Medical Services Clinics; local health councils, rural health networks, and community health partners such as labs, EMS providers, hospitals and medical providers to report in a timely and accurate manner, births, deaths, and numerous disease and health events



• Linking with federal partner agencies for a nationwide system of data collection and posting of surveillance information and for addressing critical health policy needs



• Responding to new disease or environmental threats to populations

• Identify current leading indicators of health for children and youth



• Improve the reliability and validity of data, creating incentives for accuracy in record keeping and input functions



• Continue to utilize available data sources at the federal and state level to the extent feasible to ensure efficiency of effort and comparability with state and national partners



• Monitor and measure effectiveness of interventions and health care over time, maintaining user friendly information while protecting the confidentiality of individuals



• Monitor health care disparities



• Identify warning signals of poor child health for communities, individual children and families



• Promote collaboration between health care providers, researchers, families, children and health advocates