Arizona’s Success
Tracking Data and Tools Inform Arizona’s COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 pandemic highlights data needs
As COVID-19 became widespread in Arizona, easy-to-access, transparent information was needed about the presence of this disease in the state. In addition, pandemic responders needed ways to better understand and track the state’s healthcare capacity and ability to address COVID-19.
Arizona Tracking Program develops multiple tools to monitor emerging COVID-19 response needs
Numerous tools needed to be developed quickly in response to information requests by the State Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC), healthcare partners, and the public. Because the Arizona Tracking Program had existing capacity to visually display interactive data and make data more accessible to a variety of user groups, it led the development and implementation of several applications for the state’s COVID-19 response.
The Arizona Tracking Program developed the following web-based applications to allow various groups to maintain awareness of COVID-19 prevention strategies and to monitor emerging response needs.
- COVID-19 Data Dashboardexternal icon
- COVID-19 Testing Site Locatorexternal icon
- Funeral Home Capacity Trackerexternal icon (Login needed)
- Post-Acute Care Capacity Tracker (PACCT)external icon (Login needed)
- COVID-19 Cases Zip Code Mapexternal icon
- COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Portalexternal icon
- COVID-19 Vaccine Finder Mapexternal icon
- ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) Trackerexternal icon (Login needed)
- Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) Treatment Finderexternal icon
- COVID-19 ZIP Code Vaccinations By Day Mapexternal icon
Arizona Tracking Program’s COVID-19 tools lead to public health benefits
Arizona Tracking Program tools helped researchers identify locations of increased numbers of COVID-19 cases, helped track the number of cases over time, created resources for identifying vaccine accessibility and treatment locations, and made finding a funeral home and crematory services easier for hospital staff during death surge events. From January to October 2021, the Vaccine Finder Application was used more than 1 million times and the Testing Locations Application more than 500,000 times by the public. Before the Post Acute Care Capacity Tracker (PACCT), hospital care coordinators did not know how many beds were available at post acute care centers. By providing information on where open beds were available, the PACCT has greatly improved healthcare system efficiency. The ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) Tracker was the first surveillance system on this scarce resource, allowing ECMO program coordinators to share availability and resource needs. Dr. Lisa Villarroel, the medical director for the HEOC response, said, “In particular, PACCT and the ECMO tracker are simple bed-visibility tools that improved patient placement and hospital throughput. All regions should consider this open visibility platform for use in future surges.”