ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced today a partnership with Veritas Data Research and HealthVerity that establishes a first-of-its-kind public health data consortium. This novel consortium brings together ASTHO, jurisdictional health departments and private partners united in a shared mission to improve public health outcomes through enhanced data access and quality, and to address long-standing challenges that hinder our nation’s public health data infrastructure.
“There is tremendous opportunity when we connect the strengths of private industry with the mission of public health,” said Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH, ASTHO CEO. “By working together in a structured way, we can close long-standing data gaps and build a stronger, more responsive system for the future.”
The consortium’s central mission is to improve the quality of and access to real-world data and public health data relied upon by a broad range of stakeholders to drive public and population health decisions and understand longitudinal outcomes. State health agencies, providers, payers, researchers, and others rely on this data, which is often difficult to obtain. Through this public-private partnership, members aim to expand access in ways that strengthen communities and support health care and public health systems.
“Our nation and communities need a robust, sustainable model that leverages the capabilities and expertise across both private industry and public health. For too long, there have been challenges in bringing private and public entities together to address the gaps that plague our nation’s public health data and technology infrastructure,” said Jen Layden, MD, PhD, ASTHO senior vice president of population and innovation, and former CDC and state public health leader. “This consortium, by uniting on a common mission and placing governance in the hands of public health, is primed to be a game changer.”
Jurisdictional health departments will gain access to real-world data and technical capabilities and will play a key role in strengthening the quality and availability of critical data. The consortium will initially focus on mortality data, a foundational asset for a variety of use cases.
“This consortium represents an excellent example of public-private partnerships in healthcare,” said Jason LaBonte, CEO at Veritas Data Research. “Under the governance of ASTHO, all state and territorial health agencies can securely pool their data to improve clinical practice and innovation. In return, the agencies can combine their data with national real-world data to power better public health. Veritas is pleased to facilitate these data exchanges using our robust ingestion and delivery platform, and to make appropriate data available to a wider group of stakeholders with use cases pre-approved by the state and territorial health agencies.”
“We are proud to serve as a founding operating partner, applying our expertise in identity resolution and data privacy to solve the ‘linkage’ problem that has long plagued public health,” said Andrew Kress, CEO of HealthVerity. “Through this consortium, we are enabling a standard of data exchange that respects patient privacy while providing a level of clinical truth that will accelerate research and improve the speed of public health interventions.”
To support the consortium, ASTHO is creating an advisory network to provide organizations with opportunities to stay informed and offer guidance as the initiative evolves. To learn more about the consortium or advisory network, please contact phdc@astho.org.
About ASTHO:
ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.
About Veritas:
Founded by experts in the data analytics industry, Veritas combines cutting-edge technology and efficient workflow design to close critical gaps in healthcare data. Specializing in high-fidelity mortality and provider affiliation datasets, Veritas provides secure, integrated tools for both research and operational use. By transforming raw data into actionable insights, Veritas is building next-generation vital status monitoring and tracking solutions to power enhanced patient engagement. To learn more about Veritas, visit veritasdataresearch.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About HealthVerity:
HealthVerity is the leader in privacy-protected real-world data exchange, transforming how healthcare and life sciences organizations connect and analyze disparate patient data. By enabling access to the industry’s largest RWD ecosystem, HealthVerity supports critical applications in clinical development, commercial strategy, regulatory decision-making, and public health. To learn more about HealthVerity, visit Healthverity.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
