Key points
- CDC's Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program is helping build and integrate the use of genomic sequencing technologies into public health nationwide.
- The cumulative local investment to Alaska from FY2021-2023 is $4,165,586.
- Alaska receives customized AMD support as part of the Western region.
Total investment: $4,165,586
Funding to public health departments includes support from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and AMD annual appropriations in FY2021-2023.
Implementing AMD technology
The AMD program builds and integrates laboratory, bioinformatics, and epidemiology technologies across CDC and nationwide. Since 2014, AMD has received support from Congress—now a $40 million per year appropriation—to implement these technologies in public health programs. Through investments in AMD technologies, CDC is improving both public health outcomes and preparedness in dozens of areas including foodborne disease, influenza, antibiotic resistance, hepatitis, pneumonia, and meningitis.
With funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the AMD program developed a multi-year plan to its expand support to state, local, and territorial public health laboratories providing more staff and resources to collect and sequence SARS-CoV-2 specimens, identify and track variants, and share data for public health use.
Workforce development
Alaska is part of the Western region. In 2018, the AMD program established seven workforce development regions across the country. Each region has an AMD training lead and a bioinformatics lead. This provides a network of customized AMD support which helps develop skills and provides training assistance to public health labs across the country.
Through the Western region's training resources, Alaska receives lab support on data analysis and how to interface with IT departments. They also receive both pathogen-specific training and cross-cutting instruction to help staff develop the critical skills necessary to extract, analyze, and interpret sequencing data.