Vision

Historically, public health surveillance systems, the foundations of our public-health decision making, have evolved in response to particular programmatic needs that were filled by the development of multiple ad hoc, stand-alone data systems, often each with its own software, variable formats, and methods of transmission.

Recent challenges to the public health system posed by multi-jurisdictional outbreaks, and a need for timely reporting for the detection of bioterrorist events, make problems with the current system especially glaring. For these reasons, Oregon Public Health’s Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology has long been an advocate for the development of a more integrated, flexible system.

Since 2008, our NEDSS program developed the Oregon Public Health Epidemiologist User System (Orpheus), which is an epidemiologic effort in integrating reportable communicable disease surveillance systems for local and state use. Orpheus is a secure, integrated disease surveillance system that includes electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), and surveillance of HIV/STD/TB and communicable diseases.

Mission Statement

To optimize data for public health policy, the NEDSS program is committed to improving data quality and disease surveillance via better relationships with our local, state, and national public-health partners.

Organization

NEDSS is part of the Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology in the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Public Health Division. Our activities are directed and funded by grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which requires regular progress reports for continued funding.

Programs

Oregon Electronic Laboratory Reporting