The Department of Health and Human Services will back two cooperative agreement funding opportunities for an Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) for the Healthcare and Public Health sector. The work will go to improve cybersecurity around public health issues.
“Establishing robust threat information sharing infrastructure and capability within the Healthcare and Public Health Sector is crucial to the privacy and security of health information, which is foundational to the digital health system,” said Karen DeSalvo, M.D., M.P.H., M.Sc., national coordinator for health IT. “This coordinated resource will focus on sharing the most up-to-date threat information across the health and public health sectors and will better equip health systems to identify potential threats and further protect electronic health information.”
The funding opportunities are part of the HHS response to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) passed this year. The law directs the agency to develop tools that can help with the sharing of cybersecurity threat risks.
The funding will go toward either the expansion of an existing ISAO or an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) to provide security information and education on cyber threats. The chosen entity will also need to expand outreach and education on cybersecurity awareness and contribute to cross-jurisdictional collaboration efforts within public health organizations.
The combined funding from both opportunities for an ISAO in the first year will be worth $250,000 and could be renewed for up to five years.
