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 Hawaii from FY2021-2023 is $4,578,447.
- Hawaii receives customized AMD support as part of the Western region.
Total investment: $4,578,447
Funding to public health departments includes support from the American Rescue Plan 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 expand its support to state, local, and territorial public health laboratories with more staff and resources to collect specimens for COVID-19 testing, sequence them to identify and track SARS-CoV-2 variants, and share data, now and future years.
Workforce development
Hawaii 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, Hawaii 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.