Oregon Environmental Public Health Tracking Program
Department of Human Services • Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology • Office of Environmental Public Health
Trading Partner Agreement
Background
Every day we encounter toxic chemicals, physical agents, and other substances in the air, water, and soil around us. However, making the connection between environmental hazards, exposure, and disease is not easy. Environmental hazards have subtle effects on human health and at low levels they rarely cause immediate illness in the way viruses and bacteria do. Their effects on the human body can go unnoticed. Years or decades may pass before symptoms appear. A single exposure or a single chemical may not trigger an illness, but an accumulation of exposures over time can take its toll. Effects are complicated. Many hazards may be associated with the development of one disease, while many diseases may be associated with one hazard. Genetics and behavior can also affect how environmental pollutants cause disease in individuals. Although research shows a connection between the environment and our health, there is a long way to go in understanding the causes of environmentally associated diseases. We need better information and more sophisticated tools. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began planning for the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network by drawing on expertise from federal agencies, state and local health and environmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, state public health and environmental laboratories, and schools of public health. Because state governments have the overarching responsibility for implementing and maintaining environmental and public health surveillance programs, they are the primary CDC grantees that have been funded to build capacity and implement the tracking network. Oregon is one of 17 states that were funded for network implementation in 2006. The purpose of the EPHT Program is to provide scientific information from a web-based network of integrated hazard, exposure, and health effect data to drive actions that improve the health of communities. By bringing together and standardizing local, state, and national data sources of environmental and health information, scientists, communities, policymakers, and the public will be able to more effectively address fundamental questions about relationships between environmental exposures and health effects. Data from the EPHT Network may be used to attempt to quantify the magnitude of environmental health problems, detect unusual trends and occurrences, document the distribution and spread of a hazard or health event, identify populations at risk, plan and evaluate protective and preventive measures, facilitate research, and detect the results of changes in health practices. The Oregon EPHT Program has four specific goals: Implement an Oregon State EPHT Network as part of the National Network Enhance the public health workforce and infrastructure Provide information to guide policy, practice, and other public health actions Foster collaboration among health and environmental programs
The purpose of an EPHT Trading Partner Agreement (TPA) is to document and formalize the processes for managing the flow of information to the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHTN). TPAs are between the EPHT Program, within the Oregon Public Health Division, and the provider of the data that will be placed on the EPHTN. Depending on the nature of the data to be shared, some sections of this TPA may not be relevant. The TPA should focus on those issues that are not already the subject of another agreement between partners. If there are other agreements between partners, copies of those agreements should be noted in this agreement and attached as appendices. The choice of whether or not to have a TPA is a business decision to be made by managers in consultation with their attorneys.
EPHT Trading Partner Agreement • 800 NE Oregon #827 • Portland OR 97232 • (503) 731-4025 • oregon.gov/dhs/ph/epht
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EPHT Trading Partner Agreement Instructions for EPHT staff preparing document: Save in I:\\\\Agreements, Coll…\Data Agreements as yyyymm_Name_TPA. Forward copy to participants and Program Manager; file original, with relevant documents attached, by partner name, in central manual file. 1. Participants (List contact person name, title, and phone, and program/agency name and address of all parties to the agreement) a. Oregon EPHT Program: Contact Person: Rodney Garland, Senior Research Analyst (503) 872-6723 Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, 800 NE Oregon Street #827, Portland OR 97232 b. 2. Purpose of Agreement (State the purpose of the agreement, and roles, and responsibilities of each party, including any financial arrangements and/or commitments of staff time and technical expertise) a. The Oregon EPHT Program is obtaining the data described in this agreement for public health surveillance, and for uploading to and using on the EPHT Network. The EPHT Network is a CDC funded state and national web-based system of environmental public health data and tools for analysis, visualization, and reporting with access provided in both public and role-based secure environments. Additional roles and responsibilities or support provided by EPHT Program staff: If yes, specify b. The data steward is providing the data described in this agreement in support of their own program goals and in support of the development and maintenance of a coordinated, integrated, and standards-based environmental public health tracking network. Additional data provider expectations and/or conditions: If yes, specify 3. Data Description a. b. Data Content and Format (Describe content and structure; if available, attach metadata and data dictionary) Data Stewardship (Specify data source(s), timeliness, and update procedures) No Yes. No Yes.
4. Data Management a. Data Access (Describe the technologies, methods, and media used to share the data and the frequency of data access) The parties of this agreement will exchange electronically accessible data files over secure lines between the data centers/managers that are responsible for managing the separate databases. In the event that secure access is not available, the data provider will deliver or make the data file available to the recipient through HIPAA-compliant alternate means, such as a CD or other removable data storage media/device. HIPAA-compliant alternate means are defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and are posted at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/. Additional conditions: If yes, specify b. Data Use Limitations (Identify approved uses, specify confidentiality and data suppression requirements, include other agreements as attachments) Raw data acquired under this agreement may not be disseminated or otherwise disclosed to any individual or organization without the prior written consent of the party who provided the data. However, count (frequency) data may be released for “research” or “public health” purposes, as No Yes.
EPHT Trading Partner Agreement • 800 NE Oregon #827 • Portland OR 97232 • (503) 731-4025 • oregon.gov/dhs/ph/epht
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defined in the HIPAA Privacy Standards. Research must have Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval unless exempted by law. Additional conditions: No Yes. If yes, specify the de-identification, aggregation, and, suppression safeguards that must be in place for protecting confidentiality: 5. Contract Management and Administration a. Duration, Renewal, Amendment, and Termination of Agreement (Include effective date, duration, procedures for amendment, termination, and renewal of agreement) This agreement shall be effective on the last date signed and be effective until either of the parties terminates the agreement. Either party may suggest modifications or amendments to the agreement by providing 30 days written notice to the other party. Upon receiving this notice, the recipient party has 30 days to either accept or reject the modifications or amendments. Either party may terminate this agreement at any time upon 30 days written notice to the other party. Either party may terminate this agreement immediately for cause in the event the other party has materially breached the agreement; the other party is acting in violation of laws or regulations; or the other party has breached the protections in this agreement regarding the maintenance of confidential or proprietary information. Upon termination, all rights granted by this agreement are terminated and the trading partners shall immediately cease the electronic transactions covered by this agreement. Additional conditions: If yes, specify b. Dispute Resolution (Describe procedures for settling disputes related to the terms of the agreement) This agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of Oregon, without prejudice to any legislative provision, which may apply to the parties to this agreement regarding processing, recording, and storage of electronic information, or confidentiality and protection of personal data. All disputes arising out of this agreement that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to an alternative dispute resolution process. The alternative means of dispute resolution may be arbitration, mediation or any other collaborative problem-solving process designed to encourage parties to work together to develop mutually agreeable solutions to disputes. Additional conditions: If yes, specify 6. Other Considerations (Disposition of the data once the purposes of this agreement have been met or the agreement expires, responsibility for interpretation and dissemination of the results of data linkages, responsibilities for follow-up investigations) Additional conditions: If yes, specify 7. Authorized Users (List name, position, phone number, and email of person who are authorized to access and use the raw data) EPHT: Rodney Garland, Senior Research Analyst Marina Counter, Research Analyst Mandy Green, Epidemiologist Other authorized users: If yes, specify 8. Attachments (List and attach all other documents that are referenced in this agreement) Other documents referenced and attached: If yes, list No Yes. No Yes. (503) 872-6723, rodney.garland@state.or.us (503) 631-4184, marina.counter@state.or.us (503) 872-5357, mandy.green@state.or.us No Yes. No Yes. No Yes.
EPHT Trading Partner Agreement • 800 NE Oregon #827 • Portland OR 97232 • (503) 731-4025 • oregon.gov/dhs/ph/epht
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9. Signatures (Of those who have the authority to bind the parties to this agreement) (Data Provider) (Data Recipient) Oregon EPHT Program Address: Hours: Telephone: TDD/TTY Fax: E-mail: Signature: Printed Name: Title: Date: Address: Hours: Telephone: TDD/TTY: Fax: E-Mail: Signature: Printed Name: Title: Date: 800 NE Oregon Street #827 Portland, Oregon 97232 M-Friday 8 am to 5 pm 503 731-4025 503 731-4031 503 872-5398 @state.or.us
EPHT Trading Partner Agreement • 800 NE Oregon #827 • Portland OR 97232 • (503) 731-4025 • oregon.gov/dhs/ph/epht
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